THE pyrotechnic strobe display staged by Rangers ultras at Easter Road last week was “verging on dangerous” for sufferers of photosensitive epilepsy and could have triggered a seizure in a vulnerable person in the 19,341-strong crowd, it has been revealed.
Several dozen strobe flares were set off by a section of the away fans in the upper half of the South Stand at the start of the second-half during the Ibrox club’s cinch Premiership match against Hibernian last Wednesday night.
Epilepsy Scotland neurologist Dr Susan Duncan has since studied social media footage of the coordinated show and concluded the rate of the flashing lights was very close to being unsafe for anyone with photosensitive epilepsy.
Being exposed to flickering lights or images or contrasting light and dark patterns can cause seizures in anyone with the rare form of the neurological disorder - which only around three per cent of those with epilepsy are diagnosed with.
Lights flashing at between three and 30 hertz (flashes per second) have been known to cause seizures and Dr Duncan has determined the strobe display put on by the hardcore element of the Rangers support last week was at between eight and 10 hertz.
However, Lesslie Young, the chief executive of Epilepsy Scotland, has stated that sudden loud noises and stress can also trigger seizures in some people with epilepsy and expressed her organisation’s concern about the growing use of pyrotechnics at football matches in this country.
“It (the Easter Road pyrotechnic display) was verging on the dangerous level for strobing,” she said.
“It was at around eight to 10 strobes per second. Anything between 12 and 16 and above is really quite dangerous. This looked as if it was getting into that area.
“We would voice our concern about what we have seen. People could be advised to close one eye if they must look at it. Things like distance and angle all play a part in whether it is concerning or not. But this is quick enough to be a concern to us.
“This can trigger seizure activity. Some people are diagnosed with photosensitive epilepsy. It is a very small percentage of the population who have epilepsy who are affected by photsensitivity, something around less than three per cent. So it is a small number.
“However, the impact on them is significant. The strobe effect has to be consistent and very fast. There have to be so many flashes per second for it to really have an impact. There will, of course, always be exceptions to that rule. But this looks as if it is verging on dangerous.”
Mrs Young added: “But this is a multi-faceted issue. There is a huge list of potential triggers for anybody who has epilepsy, things that might set off their seizure activity. Photosensitivity wouldn’t be the only trigger in this context.
“For some people, their trigger is unexpected loud noises. There are many factors within this behaviour (the use of pyrotechnics at football matches) that could trigger seizure activity, not just the strobe effect.
“One of the most common triggers is stress, anxiety. If somebody is in amongst all this happening they might become worried about their safety and that can trigger a seizure as well. So there are many issues in respect to epilepsy, not just photosensitivity.
“There are about 58,000 people in Scotland who have the diagnosis of epilepsy. But everybody has the potential to seizure in certain circumstances. Is this particular scenario going to be something that initiates that? It won’t cause their epilepsy, but if they have a tendency to seizure activity it might be they find their first seizure in that scenario.
“What if it is the parent of a young child at the match who has the diagnosis of epilepsy? What if the responsible adult goes into seizure leaving that young child without support? Anything that compromises the potential wellbeing of any individual who could be vulnerable would be a concern to us.”
The escalating use of flares, smoke bombs, strobes and even rockets by fans at football matches in Scotland and a series of alarming incidents have led to calls for clubs, police and football’s governing bodies to take more action to stamp out the problem.
A nine-year-old Celtic supporter was hospitalised by a lit flare at the Champions League group game against holders Real Madrid at Parkhead in September and Aberdeen midfielder Ryan Duncan was nearly hit by a smoke bomb that was thrown by one of the Pittodrie club’s fans at Tannadice this month.
James Dornan, the SNP MSP for Glasgow Cathcart, this month called for the power to award clubs the safety certificates they need to operate their stadiums to be taken away from local authorities and handed to the Scottish government so that more pressure can be applied.
Mrs Young stated that when Celtic installed their £2.5m stadium light display at Parkhead – which were quickly dubbed “disco lights” by the media and supporters - in 2018 they only did so after consulting with Epilepsy Scotland officials.
“We have been involved with Celtic and Clyde in the past,” she said. “When Celtic were putting in new lighting, we visited Celtic Park and looked at what they were doing. We were accompanied by a neurologist and they demonstrated their new system. It was deemed to be safe for people with epilepsy.
“In addition, Celtic have issued health warnings around the stadium to say that they will have some flashing lights and stating that people should be aware of that. To date, we have not had anybody contact us about anything at any football stadium having a negative impact on their epilepsy. But this behaviour is a concern for us.”
