Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) recently headlined Web3 news following reports of eye-related incidents during the annual ApeFest event. Attendees of the popular NFT-centric gathering have reported experiencing severe eye discomfort following the event.
Bored Ape Yacht Club and ApeFest Background
Known for its exclusive community of digital art collectors, the Bored Ape Yacht Club is a highly sought-after group within the NFT space. This members-only club invites those invested in their unique collection of 10,000 computer-generated cartoon ape NFTs. An essential event on the community’s calendar is the annual ApeFest festival, held for these unique NFT investors, referred to as “Bored Apes.”
Reported Eye Issues Among Attendees
However, the recent ApeFest held in Hong Kong last weekend did not go as smoothly as hoped. Following the event, over a dozen attendees took to social media, reporting alarming symptoms, including eyeburn, severe pain, and vision impairment. One of the attendees, Adrian Zduńczyk, particularly drew attention as he ended up seeking urgent medical attention for his symptom, described as “severe eye burn.”
On visiting the hospital, Zduńczyk was diagnosed with photokeratitis, also known as snow blindness. This condition results from the cornea and conjunctiva’s unprotected exposure to ultraviolet radiation, strongly suggesting the UV lighting employed at the ApeFest as the likely cause. Though Zduńczyk is now recovering with prescribed steroid eye drops and eye lubricants, his ordeal has undoubtedly brought to light a significant oversight in the event planning.
The Bored Ape Yacht Club’s Response
In the aftermath, Bored Ape Yacht Club took to Platform X, acknowledging the incidents and their potential implications. The club’s statement read, “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 potential root causes.”
While the company estimates that fewer than 1% of those attending the event experienced symptoms, they still encouraged attendees to seek medical attention if they noted similar symptoms. With approximately 2,250 attendees at the event, this could still mean several affected individuals.