According to Yuga Lab, founder of Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) and organizer of the event, a lamp emitting ultraviolet light was placed in a corner of the Bored Ape NFT event held in Hong Kong last Saturday. , which is likely to cause severe eye and skin damage to participants. event.
The injury was reportedly caused by “ape fest”, a three-day annual meetup for people who own Bored Ape NFTs. Bored Ape NFTs sell for tens of thousands of dollars and have seen sky-high prices in the hundreds of thousands of dollars during the 2021 NFT boom. A digital image of a nondescript cartoon primate backed by cryptocurrency automatically becomes a member of BAYC, and this year the annual club event will be held from November 3rd to 5th, with “chaos” and “surprise!” A big night full of excitement was promised.
Shortly after Saturday night’s ApeFest party, some attendees reported. Severe pain and burning sensation in the eyesAs well as vision problems and skin irritation, according to Yuga Labs. Doctors and others on the internet quickly speculated that the cause was UV exposure and photokeratitis (aka snow blind, arc eye, welder’s flash). Photokeratitis is similar to a sunburn on the cornea (the transparent tissue that covers the front of the eye). Exposure to ultraviolet light.The New York Times reported that as of Tuesday, the number of injured participants was Over 20 years old.
In a post by X late Wednesday, Yuga Labs acknowledged that UV exposure was “likely the cause” of the reports. “These reports are, and continue to be, of grave concern to us. We immediately contacted the affected attendees to learn of their symptoms and directed an investigation,” the company said. said.
Yuga conducted the research in collaboration with event agency Jack Morton Worldwide, which produced this year’s Apefest. Together, they “determined that UV-A emitting lights installed in one corner of the event were likely the cause of the reported eye and skin problems among participants.”
Photokeratitis can be very painful and cause vision changes, but the condition usually resolves within hours to days. However, prolonged exposure of the eyes to UV rays can have negative effects later on, similar to exposure to the skin. For the eyes, long-term UV exposure can increase the risk of cancer, cataracts, macular degeneration, and fatty deposits and growths in the whites of the eyes (vitiligo and pterygium, respectively).
This year’s Apefest isn’t the only event where attendees were exposed to harmful UV rays. In 2015, Four children in Turkey develop photokeratitis After watching the school’s theatrical performance, the performance included a light show that shined light directly onto the children in the audience. In 2016, British ophthalmologistsmass photokeratitis” event, 22 people developed symptoms after being exposed to ultraviolet light at a nightclub. In 2020, Indian health authorities reported: 284 people developed photokeratitis after participating in a “light music event.” There, a metal halide light bulb with a broken outer shell was discovered.
Yuga advised injured participants to seek medical attention and contact the company directly. “We regret that this incident has spoiled the experience of Apefest attendees, and we are committed to working with Jack Morton to support the recovery of those affected,” the company said in a statement.