"Many supporters seated behind Trump onstage went to the ER after the rally with blurred vision and burning to the eyes. I spoke to several who still have not fully recovered. As many as 20 were affected," Arizona Globe journalist Christy Kelly wrote on X.
Most of those affected were members of the group Latinos for Trump. Pastor Eli Moreno, who opened the rally with prayer, and his wife, Francesca, were among the most severely impacted. Moreno described mild discomfort, but his wife's symptoms were far worse.
"Her vision blurred, her face swelled up, and we had to rush to the nearest Walgreens for help," Moreno told Kelly. They later encountered another rallygoer with similar symptoms. Moreno added that the symptoms of his wife stayed for many days even after treatment at the hospital emergency room. She was later advised to see an ophthalmologist for further care. Five days later, she was beginning to feel better.
Mayra Rodriguez, a former director of Planned Parenthood who made a notable shift into being pro-life, suffered the same manifestations. Just half an hour after leaving the rally, she was unable to open her eyes due to extreme burning.
"When I got to the hospital, they told me I had a chemical burn," Rodriguez said. "The emergency room staff, from the triage nurse to the PA [Physicians Assistant] asked are you sure you didn't get sprayed with something your symptoms look like you got sprayed with something."
"Days later, I am still dealing with blurry vision and sensitivity to light," she said. According to her, the doctors were unable to determine what exactly caused the injuries. Her vision has started to improve as of Tuesday so her blindness does not appear permanent.
Several other attendees shared similar stories as reported by the Arizona Globe. The same symptoms appeared roughly 30 minutes after the rally ended. A rallygoer used milk to ease the burning before heading to the hospital, while another reported his face turning red and peeling.
"The Trump campaign has been collecting information. We remain committed to the countless patriots that attend our high-energy, high-impact rallies across the country," Trump campaign Senior Advisor Danielle Alvarez said.
Chemical exposure and UV toxicity are the possible causes, expert says
Northwell Health ophthalmology residency program director Dr. Jules Winokur believes that what caused the symptoms of multiple attendees at Trump's Arizona rally may have been either inadvertent chemical exposure or ultraviolet light (UV) toxicity.
"There's no way I could know, based on the reports, what's going on," Winokur said, adding "We need to examine people to see what's going on."
But since the symptoms were temporary, he theorized that "there may have been a chemical, because that can irritate the eye."
"Really hard to say, but it could have been some sort of chemical exposure," Winokur added. And chemical exposure, he added, "Goes away, it gets better, and people heal."
According to him, alcohol-based products are often used in cleaning and alcohol is somewhat toxic to the eye. He guessed that there may have been cleaning products that were used heavily in that area, which then transferred to their hands. They may have rubbed their eyes and introduced something, he said.
But he raised another possible reason, which he called UV toxicity, a condition that occurs when too much ultraviolet exposure causes inflammation on the surface of the eye. A potential hazard is if these lights were used at the venue.
It's colloquially known as "snow blindness," Winokur further explained. "The sunlight reflects off the snow and if you're not wearing any kind of UV protection, you're getting an overload of UV. And that actually causes significant pain and discomfort."
He analogized the situation using pain welders who don't wear a protective UV mask.
"If they're welding without it, they often experience severe pain, with vision problems and their eyes running," he said.
A third possibility could have been someone shining a laser pointer at the attendees, which he said "could actually burn the inside of your eye." But Winokur added, "That would cause permanent vision loss."
The attendees have reported their symptoms are improving. (Related: Secret Service to shield Trump with bulletproof glass at outdoor events following assassination attempt.)
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Watch the video below that talks about Trump's Tucson rally where attendees experienced mysterious symptoms after leaving the event.
This video is from the PureTrauma357 channel on Brighteon.com.
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