Faulty AC or blinding stage light? Experts weigh in as mystery illness strikes attendees at Trump rally

TUCSON, ARIZONA: Several theories -- including a faulty air conditioning system to a blinding stage light -- are being floated as the probable causes behind the mysterious illnesses experienced by attendees of Donald Trump’s rally on last Thursday.

Following the Republican Presidential candidate’s political gathering in Tucson, Arizona on Thursday, September 12, at least six attendees who were seated on the stage right behind Trump complained of physical discomfort and uneasiness. 

These six people shared that they suffered from “burning” red eyes after the political rally and had to visit the ER. Some other attendees complained that they were left “blinded” by any bright lights in the following days after the rally, and were in constant pain. 

Now, experts are weighing in on the matter as they talked about the probable causes of the mysterious ailments to Daily Mail.

Exploring possibilities behind burning eyes of attendees at Trump rally

While two doctors suggested to the Daily Mail that the ailment could have been caused by the AC (with it blowing too strong or blowing dry air), other doctors did not rule out the theory of faulty stage light with glaring UV rays.

Some online supporters even hypothesized the idea of a perpetrator using pepper spray in the gathering. 

Nevertheless, a spokesperson for the US Secret Service revealed that there was no known danger to Trump at least. 

One of the experts, an optometrist in Los Angeles, Dr Talin Amadian told the outlet, “My train of thought is going towards this is something with the AC and the vents that are there.”

“They do blast the AC pretty strongly in these buildings, and sometimes this could dry out the surface membranes of the eyes,” continued Dr Amadian, and added, “It's also possible that maybe there was some dust in the AC vents — and this could have [been blown onto attendees].”

An emergency medicine physician in New York City, Dr Stuart Fischer followed the same trail of thought, while agreeing, “It could be something in the air conditioning vents that was blown onto attendees, because it's only affecting those in part of the stage,” and added, “It could have been sand, sawdust, anything really.”

“It may be that something blew over these people and they all rubbed their eyes, which is the worst thing you can probably do if something is coating the front of the eyes because it can cause abrasions (scratches),” added Dr Fischer. 

Even the clinical spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmologists supported the theory that some fine particles could have blown into the attendees’ eyes.

Faulty stage light can also be a cause for ailments

While faulty air conditioning systems have emerged as one of the most prominent proponents, faulty stage light cannot also be ruled out. 

Another ophthalmologist, attached to NYU Langone Health, Dr Robert Cykiert, is of the opinion that faulty stage light might have caused the illnesses. 

Dr Cykiert said, “The symptoms that these people are reporting are pretty classic for what we call UV keratitis, or ultra-violet keratitis.”

He explained, “If UV light is of high intensity and aimed at your eyes, it will burn the surface of the cornea and it will give you intense pain, blurry vision, tears, redness and swelling in the eyes that lasts for about 24 to 48 hours.”

“I see patients with this who go to sun parlors and they sit under UV to get a sun tan and don't wear the plastic goggles, and they get these very typical UV burns in the cornea,” elaborated the doctor. 

He continued, “We also occasionally see this in people who do mountain climbing and go up to high altitudes. The symptoms take a few hours to develop because the cells don't die until a few hours after the exposure.”

He implied that the eye injuries could have been caused by the strong tungsten halogen lamps, as he suggested they were probably defective or had been fitted with wrong type of light bulbs. 

“That is the most likely scenario,” claimed the doctor, before noting gravely, “The question is was this done on purpose as another way to attack Trump and his supporters or whether this was some sort of defective lighting that these people were accidentally exposed to.”

Aerosolized substances could have been sprayed from the crowd

Though a few doctors dismiss the theory of aerosolized substances getting sprayed by some perpetrators from the crowd, a few experts are not entirely ready to rule the possibility out. 

The clinical spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology, Dr Ami Vadada, shared, “The description of symptoms appear consistent with irritation to the cornea, or the front surface of the eye.”

“If the event was windy, it's possible that dust or other allergens could have come in contact with the eye, causing redness, tearing and burning. Aerosolized substances can also irritate the eye as well,” concluded Dr Vadada. 

An optometrist in New Jersey, Dr James Dello Russo says that pepper spray might have been used by someone standing close to the stage.