The latest Bored Ape NFT event which took place in Hong Kong, the ApeFest, is now seeing massive controversy centering on health issues it caused the attendees, with many claiming severe eye strains. Some users are suspecting and attributing the said eye injury to the event's stage lighting, claiming that these were ultraviolet rays causing the problem.
Bored Ape NFT's ApeFest Led to 'Severe Eye Strains'
(Photo : Mario Tama/Getty Images)
ApeFest attendees have taken their experiences on the event to X, not because of the many new things coming, but because of severe pain in their eyes after joining the event held in Hong Kong over the weekend. A user called CryptoJune claimed that they "Woke up in the middle of the night after Apefest with so much pain in my eyes that I had to go to the hospital."
Woke up in the middle of the night after Apefest with so much pain in my eyes that I had to go to the hospital. I've seen several tweets about it
Doctor told me it was due to the UV from stage lights. I go to festivals often but have never experienced this
I try to understand…— Crypto June 💎🎯 (@CryptoJune777) November 5, 2023
It was revealed by a doctor whom CryptoJune visited that it was because of the "UV" from the stage lights.
An attendee, Adrian Zduńczyk, reiterated his experience after the event via X, stating that he experienced the eye pain for 30 hours and counting, with the diagnosis by the doctor that both his eyes developed photokeratitis. He regarded that others also claim the same symptoms and advised attendees to seek medical attention immediately, and they are inexpensive.
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UV Rays Are Suspected for the Eye Injury
Other users have also revealed that this condition is known as "Welder's eye," a.k.a. Photokeratitis, which may also be developed due to "common night life lasers" usually associated with pain, blurring, and/or eye irritation. With the doctors' diagnosis, they regarded that these are UV rays exposure-related injuries.
Bored Ape's official X account released a statement regarding being aware of the issue, stating that only 1 percent of attendees experienced the symptoms and are currently looking for the potential root causes. So far, the company has not yet suggested shouldering medical expenses for those affected.
Apes, we are aware of the eye-related issues that affected some of the attendees of ApeFest and have been proactively reaching out to individuals since yesterday to try and find the potential root causes. Based on our estimates, we believe that much less than 1% of those…
— Bored Ape Yacht Club 🍌 (@BoredApeYC) November 6, 2023
Yuga Labs and Bored Ape NFT
It seems that Yuga Labs is now looking to make the ApeFest event an annual celebration of the Bored Ape Yacht Club NFTs, as last year, it conducted a similar event at New York City's Pier 17. However, last year's event was held in June, and this year saw its celebration over the last weekend in the first week of November, expanding more on the future of the tokens.
Before it was caught in the industry-shaking controversy, the Bored Ape NFT was the largest there is in token and crypto history, with the company breaking and setting records with what it has to offer. In 2022, it saw the "Largest Mint in NFT history," as it crashed the Ethereum blockchain when it offered virtual plots of land for its massive metaverse project known as "Otherside."
Now, the company is caught in significant lawsuits and issues in the industry, as well as for the investors and customers that complain about "pumping" of prices using celebrities and public promotion. However, it is not yet the end of the line for them as it was recently celebrated via the ApeFest, but that will not be remembered all too well because of the severe eye strains it caused.
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