A blinding spotlight on stage or a faulty air conditioner are among the most common theories about the cause of a series of mysterious illnesses at a Trump rally.
About a dozen people seated directly behind the former president on stage in Tucson, Arizona, last Thursday suffered from “burning” red eyes and had to go to the emergency room in the hours after the political rally.
Others reported being ‘blinded’ by bright lights in the days that followed and having to hide indoors with a towel over their heads, in constant pain.
Two doctors told DailyMail.com that they believed the problem was with the air conditioning, which was blowing too hard and drying out the eyes of visitors. It also blew fine dust into the eyes, causing irritation and damage.
Above, Trump is seen at the rally at Tucson Music Hall. Those standing to the right of the former president on stage reported the injuries
However, a third suggested it was more likely the illnesses were caused by faulty stage lighting, after attendees were exposed to strong UV light during the hour and 18 minutes of the rally.
Some people online have suggested that the injuries could have been caused by pepper spray or other chemicals, but doctors said this was unlikely, adding that pepper spray would likely have caused immediate symptoms.
It is still unclear whether this was intentional or simply due to a faulty system in the building.
A U.S. Secret Service spokesman said there was no threat to the former president at the meeting.
The Trump campaign said in a statement: “The Trump campaign has been gathering information. We remain committed to the countless patriots who attend our energetic, impactful rallies across the country.”
It is the second time in two days that a Trump rally has been hit by panic, after reports circulated yesterday that explosives had been found in a car.
And in mid-July, one person died and two people were seriously injured in an attempted assassination of Trump at his rally in Pennsylvania.
Mayra Rodriguez, a former Clinton supporter turned Trump fan and pro-life advocate, said her “eyes were burning” when she left the rally and went to the emergency room shortly after returning home from the speech.
Above is a woman who wishes to remain anonymous but also says she is experiencing eye problems after attending the Trump rally.
Dr. Talin Amadian, an optometrist in Los Angeles, told this website: ‘I think it has something to do with the air conditioning and the vents that are there.
‘The air conditioning in these buildings is quite loud, and that can sometimes dry out the surface membranes of the eyes.
‘It is also possible that there was some dust in the air conditioning vents and that this (was blown onto the occupants).’
She added: ‘I’ve sat under an air conditioner during a long meeting and just the constant airflow could irritate my eyes and sometimes even dry them out.’
Dr. Stuart Fischer, an emergency physician in New York City, agreed: “It could be that there’s something in the air conditioning vents that’s blown onto the audience, because it’s only affecting those who are on one part of the stage.
‘It could have been sand, sawdust, or really anything.
“It’s possible that something blew over these people and they all rubbed their eyes. That’s probably the worst thing you can do if you have something on the front of your eyes because it can cause abrasions (scratches).”
The clinical spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmologists also told DailyMail.com that the reactions may have been caused by an airborne substance blown onto attendees.
Doctors were suspicious because illnesses had only been reported in one room, which they said could indicate a fault with the air conditioning in that part of the building.
Doctors said symptoms of eye damage would appear within hours of the demonstration and patients would likely go to the emergency room.
However, they said the damage would not be permanent and that the eyes of many of those present would recover in the days that followed.
The injuries were first reported on Tuesday of this week, five days after the meeting. However, the first patient did not report until Friday, just one day after the meeting took place.
Dr. Robert Cykiert, an ophthalmologist at NYU Langone Health, told DailyMail.com that the injuries were likely caused by a faulty theater light.
He said: ‘The symptoms that these people are reporting are quite classic for what we call UV keratitis or ultraviolet keratitis.
‘When high intensity UV light is focused on your eyes, it will burn the surface of the cornea. This will cause severe pain, blurred vision, tearing, redness and swelling in the eyes. This will last for about 24 to 48 hours.
Kathleen Winn, former candidate for Arizona’s 6th Congressional District, sat across the stage and said she was not aware of any injuries in the area where she was sitting
“I see patients with this condition who go to tanning beds, sit under UV light to tan and don’t wear plastic glasses, and they get these very typical UV burns on the cornea.
“We also see this occasionally in people who climb mountains and go to high altitudes. The symptoms don’t develop for a few hours, because the cells don’t die for a few hours after exposure.”
It was possible that tungsten-pattern halogen lamps – often used in theaters for stage lighting – or similar bulbs could have caused the injuries, he said, if they were defective or fitted with the wrong type of bulb.
Dr Cykiert added: ‘That is the most likely scenario.
“The question is whether this was done deliberately to attack Trump and his supporters, or whether these people were accidentally exposed to faulty lighting.”
He called for a full investigation by local authorities, the Secret Service and the FBI into the injuries.
All three doctors considered it unlikely that the injuries were caused by pepper spray, as it would likely cause an “immediate reaction.”
They also said that if someone had sprayed the chemical in the building, he or she likely would have been immediately spotted by security or the crowd or captured on camera.
Dr. Amadian said, “I did think about that, but that would be something that would have been captured by the cameras or by those present.”
“I feel like people these days, with security and all that, they’re very aware of who’s going in and what’s going on. I guess they’ve picked up on that by now.”
However, a fourth physician, Dr. James dello Russo — a New Jersey optometrist — suggested to this website that it is possible that pepper spray was used by someone in the stands at stage right.
One of the patients affected was Myra Rodriguez. She felt pain in her eyes as she left the meeting. The next morning, she said, all she could see was a “white cloud” from her eyes.
She had to stay indoors and keep her arms covered with a cold, wet towel because of the pain.
She told News 4 Tucsonwho first reported the injuries: ‘As soon as we left and I stepped outside, I felt like my eyes were burning.
‘(Right now) I can’t see anything when I try to open my eyes. I see a bright light. It hurts, it hurts a lot to open my eyes. I have a cold cloth that I’m constantly putting on and taking off. It’s horrible.’
‘The ER staff kept saying to the triage nurse and the PA, “Are you sure you didn’t get sprayed with something?”‘
Ms. Rodriguez drove the 90 minutes back to Phoenix after the meeting, but said the pain in her eyes became so bad afterward that she had to go to the emergency room.
Her daughter Alexandra Olvera, who spoke to DailyMail.com, said her mother has now largely recovered from the incident.
A brother and sister who sat next to Ms. Rodriguez, but wished to remain anonymous, also spoke about their symptoms.
The brother said, ‘It was all focused on my eyes, my eyes were red as hell, you know, it’s unbearable. I couldn’t take it.’
His sister added: ‘It just kept getting worse and worse. My eyes started watering, my nose started running, then I felt my face getting red and my neck felt like it was on fire. And it just kept getting worse and worse.’
Another woman said she had to cancel all her client appointments for the coming week because the protest was affecting her vision.
Dr. Ami Vadada, an ophthalmologist and clinical spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology, said: ‘The description of the symptoms seems to be consistent with irritation of the cornea or the front surface of the eye.
‘If it was windy, it is possible that dust or other allergens came into contact with the eye, causing redness, tearing and burning. Aerosols can also irritate the eye.’
