What Caused the Outbreak of Mysterious Eye Injuries at a Recent Trump Rally? An Expert Weighs In

• Several people who stood on stage with Donald Trump in his Tucson, Ariz., home reported eye injuries after the event, saying they suffered pain and temporary blindness
• While he said he would really need to screen patients to be sure, Dr. Jules Winokur, residency program director and vice president of ophthalmology for Northwell Health, told PEOPLE that their injuries could have been the result of accidental chemical exposure or UV light toxicity
• He said both could explain the painful but temporary symptoms

Several attendees who stood on stage with Donald Trump at a recent rally in Tucson, Arizona, reported significant eye injuries after the Sept. 12 event, saying they had burning pain and temporary blindness immediately afterward.

Some patrons seated to the left of the stage sought medical attention afterward, NBC affiliate KVOA-TV reported.

“I can’t see anything when I try to open my eyes. I see a bright light. It hurts, it hurts so much to open my eyes. I have this cold cloth that I keep putting on and taking off. It’s horrible,” Mayra Rodriguez told the outlet.

Attendees who stood to the right of Donald Trump at his rally in Tucson reported eye pain after the event.

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Other reported symptoms were flushed faces and runny noses – but all experienced the same, painful symptoms around the eyes.

What could have caused this temporary — but painful — condition?

dr. Jules Winokur, residency program director and vice president of ophthalmology for Northwell Health, tells PEOPLE that the symptoms point to either accidental chemical exposure or UV light toxicity.

“There’s no way for me to know, based on the reports, what’s going on,” warned Winokur, who added, “We have to question people to see what’s going on.”

But since the symptoms, while painful, were temporary, he theorized that “there may have been a chemical, because it can irritate the eye.”

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“Alcohol-based products are often used for cleaning, and alcohol is somewhat toxic to the eye. There may have been cleaning products in the area that were used extensively [that] then transferred to their hands, so they rubbed their eyes and introduced something.”

“It’s really hard to say, but it could have been some kind of chemical exposure,” Winokur told PEOPLE. And the chemical exposure, he said, “It goes away, it gets better and people get better.”

“Another possibility is something called UV toxicity,” which, he explains, is a condition that occurs when too much exposure to ultraviolet radiation causes inflammation on the surface of the eye—a potential hazard if UV lights are used at the scene.

Image of bright UV light; Standard picture of a bucket with cleaning products.

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It’s colloquially known as “snow blindness,” Winokur explained. “Sunlight reflects off the snow and if you don’t wear any UV protection, you get UV overload. And that actually causes significant pain and discomfort.”

He compared it to the pain that welders can experience if they don’t wear a protective UV mask.

“If they weld without it, they often feel severe pain, with vision problems [and their] eyes running.”

As for suggestions that it could have been chemical exposure from vents, Winokur said the small, concentrated group of participants did not support that theory.

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“These were clustered in a certain section – it wasn’t like everyone in the arena had something,” he said. “It just doesn’t make sense that one vent was toxic and it accidentally blew air on just those people.”

As Winokur explained, “the air conditioning is so big and so big,” in places like the Linda Ronstadt Music Hall, which has a capacity of more than 2,000 people.

A third possibility could have been someone shining a laser pointer on visitors, which he said “could actually burn the inside of your eye.” But he added, “it would cause permanent vision loss” – and participants reported that their symptoms were improving.

“The fact that they’re doing better is a great sign,” he said. “I hope he makes a full recovery.”

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