ApeFest Attendees Report Severe Eye Burn. BAYC Says Less Than 1% Have Symptoms

Attendees of ApeFest, an event hosted by Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) creators Yuga Labs, have received medical care after reports of blurred vision and burning eyes.

Bored Ape Yacht Club posted an update on their X profile, stating that “much less than 1% of those attending and working the event had these symptoms.”

“While nearly everyone has indicated their symptoms have improved, we encourage anybody who feels them to seek medical attention just in case,” it added.

The response prompted an annoyed reaction from attendees, many of whom blamed the organizers for downplaying the incident.

One attendee reported that the problem with their eyes, which was diagnosed as photokeratitis, remained for more than 30 hours following the event. Photokeratitis is a condition that results from exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light.

The event, which was held in Hong Kong, featured lasers and strobe lights, with several attendees pointing towards the usage of incorrect bulbs as being the cause.

The floor price of Bored Ape NFTs fell to a low of 28.4 ether (ETH) earlier today, following a high of 32 ETH on Nov. 1.

Yuga Labs did not immediately respond to CoinDesk’s request for comment.