September 26, 2024
Lighting Under Scrutiny After Political Rally Eye Injuries
Above: KVOA-TV, News 4 Tucson explores potential link between rally lighting and attendee eye injuries
Numerous attendees report severe eye pain; experts suspect UV light may be involved.
Several attendees of a recent rally for former President Donald Trump at the Linda Ronstadt Music Hall in Tucson, Arizona reported severe eye injuries, according to KVOA-TV, News 4 Tucson. The injuries, which affected more than 10 supporters seated stage-right, are suspected to have been caused by exposure to UV light, though the exact cause remains under investigation.
Victoria Aguilar, one of the attendees, described experiencing significant eye pain following the rally. "I woke up with so much pain in my eyes, my eyes were swollen," she told KVOA-TV. Aguilar rushed to the emergency room, where she rated her pain as a 10 out of 10, and noted that a week later, her eyes were still very sensitive, requiring her to wear sunglasses.
Retired ophthalmologist Lou Badeen, with over 30 years of experience, told News 4 Tucson that the reported symptoms were consistent with exposure to UV lighting. "It really fits the picture as a delayed onset; it gets progressively worse the first 24 to 48 hours, and it’s really excruciating," he explained. Badeen further noted that a chemical exposure would likely have caused a more immediate reaction.
Temporary event stage lighting was provided
According to News 4 Tucson, the Trump campaign had hired Clearwing, an event production company in Phoenix, to handle the event’s lighting. However, the owner of Clearwing insisted that no UV lighting was used and stated that only standard TV broadcast lighting fixtures were employed. The owner suggested that lighting was not a likely cause, citing that these same fixtures had been used safely at hundreds of events over several decades.
Multiple attendees of a recent Tucson, AZ political rally reported eye pain and temporary vision impairment.
— Inside Lighting (@InsLighting) September 20, 2024
Some unsubstantiated online speculation suggests it may be UV light damage. Our 2023 article on the UV topic has seen a recent spike in traffic. https://t.co/PSXh6BaTYN
The City of Tucson, which operates the Linda Ronstadt Music Hall, confirmed that the lighting arrangements were entirely managed by the Trump campaign, according to News 4 Tucson. While some victims’ doctors indicated that the injuries resembled chemical burns, others noted symptoms consistent with UV light exposure, leaving the exact cause still uncertain.
It is also worth noting the potential role of damaged, permanently installed lighting systems in the venue, which may include metal-halide lamps. If such fixtures and lamps are installed at the music hall, and if the outer envelope of metal-halide lamps is compromised, the inner arc chamber could emit harmful UV radiation, creating localized areas of exposure that might contribute to the eye injuries reported by attendees.
This incident bears some similarities to a case from November 2023, where attendees at an NFT event in Hong Kong reported comparable eye injuries. During the three-day ApeFest, over 20 participants experienced severe eye pain and vision problems, with symptoms resembling intense sunburn of the eyes. The suspected cause in that instance was also UV light exposure from stage lighting.
The U.S. Secret Service informed News 4 Tucson that they were only made aware of the incident when contacted by the news organization, and they reported no known threat to former President Trump during the event. The Trump campaign has not released any additional information regarding the incident as investigations continue.
