Pyrotechnic Shows Could Trigger Seizures

"I recommend caution at the end of the fireworks, when the whole sky lights up," says Erba, a professor of neurology and pediatrics at the University of Rochester. The blasts are "wider and they occupy most of the visual field," if you're up close to the display.

For most patients with epilepsy who are on the right medication, the pyrotechnic climax should not have an effect, says Erba. His concern is for those people, most likely children around school age, who "do not know they're photosensitive."

When you're watching the fireworks show, "be very observant of how your body responds," he says. "If you start getting some involuntary jerks, that may be the first signal that something is wrong."

Should that happen, Dr. Erba recommends covering one eye with the palm of your hand to block out the light. Cutting light input to the visual cortex by half should be enough to prevent a seizurelike cascade of electrical activity in the brain, explains Erba.

Cindy Mitchell incorporates an approach similar to Erba's eye-covering technique by having her son wear sunglasses during the fireworks shows.

"I think you have to go on living life and allowing your child to have the experiences that bring joy," says Mitchell.

Still, the family is missing the Angels' Fourth of July game due to a church function.

As for Damon Thorne, now 37, and his Fourth of July plans: "I am not going to see no fireworks now."

Links: Epilepsy Foundation of America