Can lightning cause problems for people with photosensitive epilepsy? can lightning and thunderstorms trigger seizures in photosensitive epilepsy?

Yes, : Yes, but very rarely. The first thing to point out is that the person has to have photosensitive seizures for this to be a concern. If so, the statistics are that most people respond to flashing lights from 10-30 flashes per second. Lightning does not really flash at that rate very often, but it can. Some people get photosensitive seizures from just one flash, or from faster flashes, both of which could be from lightning. The other important point is that the flashes have to take up your entire visual field. If would have to be bright enough to make the whole room flash. It's much more common for things on television to do it, since it is already going at exactly the right frequency.

No: Photosensitive epilepsy is triggered by the flickering of light at a given frequency and given intensity that triggers discharges from the vision centers of the brain. Lightning is a streak of intense light with dramatic discharge of ions and sound pressure associated with dramatic changes in atmospheric pressure. It can be dramatic as a stimulus, especially if it strikes near to the person.