Sensitivity to flashing images

[Progster]

I love watching documentaries, but over the last few years, I have really struggled with some of the editing techniques or special effects they use - flashing or fast changing images. Many documentaries use rapidly changing scenes (such as, for exacmple, Chris Packham's Nature's Weirdest Events) or flashing images or white screens flashing at you between shots. They hurt my eyes, or make me dizzy, give me something like vertigo - I can't stand it and sometimes I end up watching the documentary with my eyes closed. It causes me a lot of stress. I don't know why this has started, but it's been getting worse. As a kid, I can't remember having this problem with the TV, but in those days they didn't employ such editing techniques. Or could it be because I'm sensitive to the LED screen? Or is it an aging thing? Though when I ask people of around my age, they don't seem to have this problem, or it's a lot milder.

 

[Suzanne]

I feel a sense of my eyes being dragged!

Also, I cannot deal with those damn adverts that appear all over the place. I know that they are loud and obnoxious in order to grab the attention; but they have become so excessive that they make me feel physically sick and angry.

I am so glad that an aspie's words on here, convinced me to buy a year's subscription, because it is just so wonderful not having those stupid adverts popping up.

 

[Progster]

I feel a sense of my eyes being dragged!

Also, I cannot deal with those damn adverts that appear all over the place. I know that they are loud and obnoxious in order to grab the attention; but they have become so excessive that they make me feel physically sick and angry.

I am so glad that an aspie's words on here, convinced me to buy a year's subscription, because it is just so wonderful not having those stupid adverts popping up.

I can't stand adverts, they are so in-your-face. I do everything I can to eliminate them from my life as much as possible - like I'm going to go out and buy the product just because I saw your stupid advert - not.
I use an adblocker so if something annoys me online, I just block it. I can't stand moving GIFs or banners at the top of sites, either. Hate them.

But I'm not really talking about ads here, that issue alone really deserves a separate thread. I wanted to see if anyone else has this issue with flashing images, whiting screens or rapidly moving images.

 

[Major Tom]

I have this problem not necessarily on TV , but I do get a sense of vertigo from falling snow in a game that I play called Clash of Clans. Also, if I drink any alcohol at all, I absolutely can't handle watching TV or being on the computer/any device for long before the world starts to spin. I also have a problem with headlights at night while driving, they are blinding/ dizzying at the worst. All of these issues are relatively new, because I never had a problem when I was younger. I think it may have something to do with aging and eye degeneration in my case.

 

[Progster]

Also, if I drink any alcohol at all, I absolutely can't handle watching TV or being on the computer/any device for long before the world starts to spin. I also have a problem with headlights at night while driving, they are blinding/ dizzying at the worst.

Alcohol doesn't seem to affect it (unless I drink too much, which I never do), but headlights are particularly bad. I thought it might be aging too, but older members of my family don't seem to have these issues, or not nearly as bad as I do.

 

[Flammie91]

I began to develop a problem with seizure like activity a few years ago, its not as bad as it used to be, but I still get triggered by flashing lights of any kind, my eyes begin to flutter, i kinda feel faint or dizzy, and I lose my ability to concentrate. I dont even watch TV anymore, everything on it I find is so overdone.

 

[Major Tom]

Alcohol doesn't seem to affect it (unless I drink too much, which I never do), but headlights are particularly bad. I thought it might be aging too, but older members of my family don't seem to have these issues, or not nearly as bad as I do.

Have you ever had a seizure or rapid eye degeneration in your life? I used to get seizures when I had a high temperature when I was young. Also, when I was 12 years old my vision went from 15\20 to terrible in an instant, I remember it vividly, it was during the opening scene of Baywatch. I could see the TV and then everything was blurry. Not sure if these incidents are related to my current vertigo or eye issues or not, but just throwing out the possibility.

 

[Progster]

I dont even watch TV anymore, everything on it I find is so overdone.

I agree, anything on TV, and movies even, tend to be overdone, overacted or overdramatized. I prefer to watch old, retro shows.

Have you ever had a seizure or rapid eye degeneration in your life?

No, I've never had a seizure, though I have experienced blurred vision. I don't think it's related to seizures in my case. Blurred vision could be due to sensory overload? Having seizures or 'fitting' when overheating is quite common in small children because they can't regulate their body temperature as well as adults.

 

[kay]

I shut my eyes during commercials. I think it's the editing not the screen. There is this thing I think where a white frame is inserted randomly here and there to give everything extra "excitement"? And then of course the speed that images are flashed. It's getting harder to watch most anything because of the flashiness. I won't go to most theaters because of volume but there is also the flashiness. I tried watching the Harry Potter movies at home and number 7 was really the only watchable one, way too much time with fast broom rides and wand fights in the rest. I also end up either avoiding museums or paying for stuff I can't see because of films included in the price. The National Mississippi River Museum was a big disappointment because of some strobe lighted moving seat film that was part of the ticket price. It's better when they keep the films separate with a separate price so at least you haven't wasted money. I have never seen an Imax movie because I know those would make me sick. Things were different when I was a kid, too. Where is that clip from Elementary? That pretty much sums it up. Some of us are old enough to have some idea because in some ways we were born in a different time. Before all the flashiness, the loudness, the Imax, the beepy scanners in stores, televisions on everywhere, phones ringing in everyone's pockets, car alarms. There were incandescent bulbs in school when I was a kid. Oh, here is that clip so many of you have been kind enough to post so many times. I love this clip.

 

[Judge]

Yes, much of anything blinking very long labors my eyes as well. But I have other issues equally if not more frustrating and aggravating. -LED screens. Where I seem to be obsessed with their refresh rates, always noticing the ones with artificial technologies intended to lessen blurring with lots of action onscreen. But the process itself seems to have its own side-effect that my eyes always seem to catch. An odd and unwanted series of vertical lines following whatever is moving.

An "accordion effect" as I call it with tvs having a default setting of 120Hz which place more frames per second into a picture in an attempt to enhance it all. Where as the camera pans to film an object or person, it has all these vertical lines following it, like partial images that lag behind. Where sometimes I wish I never got rid of my first widescreen tv that operated at only 60Hz. Blurrier action, but no "accordion effect" either.

And then there's response time issues to consider. The ability of such a screen to fluctuate its color pixels from black to white and everything in between on the color spectrum. Where too much action on the screen like fire or explosions cause the picture to pixellate, as opposed to just a weak cable tv signal.

Having an attention to detail can serve you- or curse you. I guess for me there's just no happy medium. No doubt this must sound weird to a great many people.

 

[fairy_girl]

I think that my brain has trouble keeping up with the latest newest technology and with ads they are always trying to be loudest and literally the flashiest things to keep your attention. I will gladly pay money to get rid of all ads and watch things in a boxed set. Using the Fast Forward button to get rid of ads can be a pain in the butt or if you have a person who is too slow to work the FF button and let's the ads run too long for my own liking.

 

[Progster]

There is this thing I think where a white frame is inserted randomly here and there to give everything extra "excitement"? And then of course the speed that images are flashed.

Yes, this is exactly what I mean - it's unbearable. I don't know how people can bear to watch this.

I have never seen an Imax movie because I know those would make me sick.

I've been to an Imax movie and it was impossible to watch, I spent most of the time with my eyes closed. I felt sick.