Eye Patches May Reduce Seizures in Sunflower Syndrome

Source: Developmental medicine and child neurology

Summary

This study looked at how wearing an eye patch affects the number of handwaving episodes (HWEs) in young people with Sunflower syndrome, a type of epilepsy triggered by light. Seven patients, aged between 8 and 21 years, participated in the research. Caregivers recorded the number of HWEs during three different conditions: no eye patch, an eye patch on the same side as the hand waving, and an eye patch on the opposite side.

The results showed that wearing an eye patch reduced the frequency of HWEs significantly. On average, patients had 136 HWEs per hour without an eye patch. When they wore a patch on the opposite eye, the number dropped to 26 HWEs per hour, and it was even lower, at 23 HWEs per hour, when the patch was on the same side as the hand waving. This suggests that blocking visual input from one eye can help lessen the seizures associated with Sunflower syndrome.

These findings are important because they provide new insights into how sensory input affects seizure activity in this condition. Understanding this could lead to better treatment options for young people with Sunflower syndrome. However, the study had a small number of participants, so more research is needed to confirm these results and explore how they can be applied in everyday care.

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