Twinkle Toe Shoes cause epileptic seizures?

[daughtersrus]

Seizures are not caused by a few twinkling lights on shoes,

Blinking lights can cause seizures.

http://www.epilepsy.com/articles/ar_1141663451

 

[Magpie]

FWIW - for me, driving down a road with the sunlight coming sideways through the trees is easily enough flashing and flickering to cause a migraine. Even mica bits reflecting up from the sidewalk can cause problems. It's not anything that anyone else would notice, but flickering light is real problem for me.

Mostly I don't complain. I mean, what am I going to do? Yell at the sun? But if I was a migraine-prone kid, stuck having to attend class every day with another kid whose shoes were constantly sending little spikes of light into my head - yeah, I'd complain. I don't have a choice about being in that classroom, but the other kid does have a choice about what shoes they wear.

The shoes are a luxury. Pick up a pair of 9 dollar sneaks for school and wear the other shoes outside school. Use this as an opportunity to teach your daughter to have compassion for other kids.

 

[chloelovesdisney]

The lights on the shoes will not cause a seizure. Some flashing lights can, but those will not. I doubt if those lights would cause a migraine either but if by chance they actually do, a migraine can lead to a seizure in an epileptic.

 

[chloelovesdisney]

In any case they do seem like a distraction in class, maybe they are just better as weekend shoes.

 

[BellePrincessBelle]

The lights on the shoes will not cause a seizure. Some flashing lights can, but those will not. I doubt if those lights would cause a migraine either but if by chance they actually do, a migraine can lead to a seizure in an epileptic.

Don't you think it that was really the case there would have been some media attention in the last decade & a half? I'm sorry but I'm just not buying this excuse.

 

[Aneille]

You know that nurse may be wishing that she used different wording and maybe you can "fight" the siezure issue, but why. It seems reasonable that these can be a distraction and an issue for those in the classroom. If she had used the word distraction I have a feeling the op would have put up just as much of a stink.

You might be right, but I'm not the OP. If it were me, I would be upset about the seizure issue but I probably wouldn't fight it. I have strong feelings about things but usually only try to fight the big ones.

I think if only my child or my childs class was banned from wearing these shoes, I would probably feel the need to provide the school with the information from the Sketchers lab. But in the end I would most likely just keep my kid from wearing them at school. Its a minor thing in the grand scheme of things.

 

[Tiger926]

It does not seem like an unreasonable request and I wouldn't even dream of questioning the school. I am always amazed by the battles parents choose to fight with the schools. Let's remember the school personnel are there for the good of the children. Unfortunately some kids may have to sacrifice for another child's school experience (ie. banning peanuts and flashing shoes) but I thank God that my child is not dealing with the special issue.

The school system isn't trying to control your personal life at all. You can do whatever you want in your personal life, and so can your child. Every student in that school is free to own as many pairs of those shoes as they want to, and they can wear them wherever they want to, as long as they don't wear them at school. The school system is only trying to control what goes on within the school. Schools have dress codes, and students are expected to adhere to those while they are in school. If the school system wants to ban flashing shoes from the school they have every right to do so. Parents don't have to approve of the reasons for theb; they just have to make sure their kids adhere to the dress code.

I agree with barkley. I went back and reread the OP and the nurse did say "seizures or migraines", not just seizures. Whether or not the shoes flash at the correct frequency to cause seizures, the flashing could certainly cause migraines. If a student in that school is having migraines and they believe the shoes are causing them, then it's reasonable to ban the shoes. The school system doesn't have to explain why the shoes are being banned - in fact to provide specifics about another student's medical conditions would actually be a violation of privacy rules.

Tiger

 

[kaytieeldr]

Seizures are not caused by a few twinkling lights on shoes,

Right. If twinkling lights could cause seizures or migraines, Christmas lights would have been banned YEARS ago, as would have any flashing signs.

However, a distraction is a distraction, and it doesn't matter to whom. I can guarantee you that if I'm distracted as an adult, I have students who are distracted, too.

I have no idea whether or not these shoes cause seizures or any other health issue. I was simply giving my opinion as a teacher in regards to the distraction factor.

Agreed. Now the school is going to have a really hard time engaging the trust of the OP. Since we and Skechers are all fairly certain the lights won't cause any health issues, but since most of us also agree that they are distracting, how can she be expected to believe anything they tell her in the future?

 

[chloelovesdisney]

Don't you think it that was really the case there would have been some media attention in the last decade & a half? I'm sorry but I'm just not buying this excuse.

I'm not sure what you are referring to? Are you questioning whether migraines lead to seizures in an epileptic? My sister has epilepsy and this is indeed the case for her.

 

[BellePrincessBelle]

I'm not sure what you are referring to? Are you questioning whether migraines lead to seizures in an epileptic? My sister has epilepsy and this is indeed the case for her.

No I am saying these shoes leading to migranes leading to seizures. There are no reports EVER of these shoes causing any medical problems what so ever.

 

[mamacatnv]

The school system isn't trying to control your personal life at all.

The school did not state the issue was rule/dress code related. The school cited an unfounded medical issue. They have no proof, no evidence etc. and yet they want the OP to go buy a different pair of shoes at her expense because they randomly decided they were a medical issue which they clearly are not. That is reaching into my personal life IMO

If it is not in the rule book then unless the school was paying for new shoes my child would continue to wear them. One of my kids has the exact pair the OP is talking about. Unless you are looking at them you don't even notice that they are lighting up. You don't even see them out of the corner of your eye as some have mentioned. After about a month half the lights die out anyway. If child cannot be around any light that turns off and on then I don't understand how they can even be in school. Also- unless every kid in that school has non light up sneakers there is also no way I would even consider it. Call me selfish I don't care. I think people are way too demanding these days.

yep and I agree 100% people are way to demanding and they have no facts to back up those demands.
My DD's bright hair bands could be distracting or her polka dot socks - this is IMO just stupid and the school nurse should never have opened her mouth.

As a total side note, I don't know about you all but around here we don't have nurses any more, we have clinical aides which are generally Moms with no more training in basic first aide than what I have. An actual nurse at the schools is unheard of and even if she is a RN what gives her the authority to make a decision on what can cause a major medical incident in another student and then go so far as to single out the OP's DD and make that call. Way over stepping their bounds IMO

 

[barkley]

I just called & talked with the Sketchers customer service.

There is no way to disable the lights.

This is the 1st that they have heard about a school banning the shoes & it's the 1st they have heard about someone saying the lights could cause a seizure.
She contacted the lab & called me back to let me know that Strobe lights cause seizures & have to have a frequency of 20-50 cycles per second. Sketchers are blinking lights & not strobe lights & the shoe cycles are way below that. The lab is preparing paperwork to e-mail me the frequency rating of the shoes.

I asked if any cases had been reported to them about seizures & she said there have been none.

do they have any data on migraines to provide to you? because your school is citing that as well-you might ask them spec. about opthalmic migraines and how they can be triggered spec. by non bright, but flashing lights.

 

[Jennasis]

Wonder if a kid actually had a migraine/seizure or if maybe the kid's parent saw the shoes and panicked and went to the school pre-emptively?

So go buy some tape. Stick a piece on over the light for school, yank it off at home.

 

[C.Ann]

The lights on the shoes will not cause a seizure. Some flashing lights can, but those will not. I doubt if those lights would cause a migraine either but if by chance they actually do, a migraine can lead to a seizure in an epileptic.

You would be surprised how very minor an exposure can be that will develop into a full-blown migraine pretty much immediately.. Another one of my triggers is cigar smoke.. I went outside last Sunday to put my garbage out and there was someone across the street smoking a cigar.. I got one whiff and had a migraine in less than 5 minutes - after dashing right back inside..

Believe me, if you're prone to migraines, it doesn't take much - even a shift in the weather.. There are things that can be controlled - and some that can't.. The sneaker situation can easily be controlled - if in fact it's causing someone in that class to have migraines (or triggering a seizure - which as someone else pointed out is not necessarily a thrashing around on the floor situation).. Someone very, very close to me has to take medication daily to prevent seizures and there are also the "blank" ones - where you are just basically lost in time and unaware of your surroundings.. In the course of a day - if not well controlled - a person could have many, many episodes..

There has to be some reason that the nurse contacted the OP.. I doubt that she did it willy-nilly.. I'm sure there are more important things she could have been doing if this were not a valid complaint..

 

[crispychicky]

I just called & talked with the Sketchers customer service.

There is no way to disable the lights.

This is the 1st that they have heard about a school banning the shoes & it's the 1st they have heard about someone saying the lights could cause a seizure.
She contacted the lab & called me back to let me know that Strobe lights cause seizures & have to have a frequency of 20-50 cycles per second. Sketchers are blinking lights & not strobe lights & the shoe cycles are way below that. The lab is preparing paperwork to e-mail me the frequency rating of the shoes.

I asked if any cases had been reported to them about seizures & she said there have been none.

According to the Epilepsy Foundation, the majority of photosensitive epileptics are most sensitive to flashes between 5-30 per second (Hz), not 20-50. http://www.epilepsyfoundation.org/newsroom/upload/Photosensitivity_Guidelines.pdf The Sketcher lady gave you bad info. I'm not sure how fast twinkle toes flash or how long the pause is in between the series of flashes.

FWIW, I hope there is no medical issue with the shoes and your DD gets to keep wearing them at school.

 

[daughtersrus]

The school did not state the issue was rule/dress code related. The school cited an unfounded medical issue. They have no proof, no evidence etc. and yet they want the OP to go buy a different pair of shoes at her expense because they randomly decided they were a medical issue which they clearly are not. That is reaching into my personal life IMO

yep and I agree 100% people are way to demanding and they have no facts to back up those demands.
My DD's bright hair bands could be distracting or her polka dot socks - this is IMO just stupid and the school nurse should never have opened her mouth.

As a total side note, I don't know about you all but around here we don't have nurses any more, we have clinical aides which are generally Moms with no more training in basic first aide than what I have. An actual nurse at the schools is unheard of and even if she is a RN what gives her the authority to make a decision on what can cause a major medical incident in another student and then go so far as to single out the OP's DD and make that call. Way over stepping their bounds IMO

There is evidence that blinking lights can trigger seizures.

As for nurses, our schools have them. Who administers prescription medication to the students while they're at school?

Wonder if a kid actually had a migraine/seizure or if maybe the kid's parent saw the shoes and panicked and went to the school pre-emptively?

So go buy some tape. Stick a piece on over the light for school, yank it off at home.

Are you saying that the nurse made this up?

 

[Toad_Passenger]

do they have any data on migraines to provide to you? because your school is citing that as well-you might ask them spec. about opthalmic migraines and how they can be triggered spec. by non bright, but flashing lights.

I went to school with a girl who got serious migraines. Bright lights, fluorescent yellow shirts, optical illusions, you name it and it gave her a migraine. The parents were always trying to get things changed (even down to the type of light bulbs used in the classroom). It just got to the point that there was no way to accommodate everything for this one student. She ended up being home schooled because the school district was not going to change the light bulbs, ban EVERY type of shirt that other kids could wear, tell the art students what type of design they could paint/draw in this girl's presence, etc.

It's a tough situation for a school to be put in, but if it is 1 student that is bothered, I don't think a "medical" decision on a pair of shoes is warranted.

That being said, I do agree about the "distraction" issue, and there the school is more than within its boundaries to have the shoes removed or covered up in some way.

 

[Scurvy]

If it is not in the rule book then unless the school was paying for new shoes my child would continue to wear them. One of my kids has the exact pair the OP is talking about. Unless you are looking at them you don't even notice that they are lighting up. You don't even see them out of the corner of your eye as some have mentioned. After about a month half the lights die out anyway. If child cannot be around any light that turns off and on then I don't understand how they can even be in school. Also- unless every kid in that school has non light up sneakers there is also no way I would even consider it. Call me selfish I don't care. I think people are way too demanding these days.

I can agree with the bolded. However, I have never been involved with a school system that didn't include "distractions" (or something similar) in the dress code. In that case it is in the rule book, even though the shoes aren't specifically named. As others have mentioned, that was what happened with Silly Bands. They aren't specifically listed in most school rules, but more and more school systems are banning them because they are distractions. Once the school system declares that they are distractions, they aren't allowed any longer.

I do agree that people are way too demanding these days, but I think that goes both ways. I can't understand demanding that my child be allowed to wear a novelty type shoe which teachers have said is a distraction, especially when it may be causing health issues for another student.

 

[SandrA9810]

I would not be buying new shoes because of the school now. Light up shoes have been around for ages. And I don't think the OP's daughter is entering kindergarten either, so if a particular child has an issue, a notice should've been sent home a long time ago saying "for the safety of the children in the classroom, please do not purchase light up shoes."
Because if they went through this last year, they could've made it easier on parents this year.

I believe a pencil can be more distracting than a pair of shoes.

I would also contact Sketchers to see if there's way to turn the shoes off for school, without damaging the shoe.

 

[mom3sonstt]

Several years ago when my son, now a Senior, was in Grade School basketball he had some light up shoes. They were just maybe 3 or 4 little red lights in the heel area. We bought them for basketball (wasn't allowed to wear them outside so they wouldn't track dirt on to the gym floor). He wore them to his practices, and to his games. About half-way through the season he was taken out of a game and he came up to where we were sitting (a few rows behind the team - all the kids would go to their parents to get a water bottle when they were out). But this time he told us he couldn't play anymore because he had lights on his shoes. I don't remember now if it was the other team;s coach or one of the referees that had complained about it. But I remember my son being upset that he couldn't play...and I know I was upset that the shoes that were fine for so long all the sudden weren't anymore. We weren't told "why" he couldn't wear them (distracting, medical) just that he couldn't. Of course it was Illinois in the winter so he had boots to change into after the game so he didn't even have street shoes that he could wear. I think he wound up at half time borrowing someone else's shoes (from the younger team that played first). I think he finished the season wearing his PE shoes.

I also remember when I was in high school there was something about velcro shoes. I don't remember if they were banned, or if the teachers just complained about them. But having velcro on shoes was a pretty new thing then, and kids used to play with the staps RRRIIIPPP. Of course everytime they got caught or chastised for doing it they were always just adjusting them because they were loose