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Some visitors to a festival of the Bored Ape Yacht Club – a non-fungible token collection built on the Ethereum blockchain – have suffered eye problems from that party in Hong Kong. The big culprit: according to the visitors, the light used during the event.
Bored Ape maker Yuga Labs Inc. held the so-called ApeFest from November 3 to 5. This was accompanied by music and intense lighting. According to visitors who addressed their followers on X, the light caused their eyes to burn. In an emailed statement forwarded to Bloomberg, festival spokesperson Yga Labs said there are 15 people they are in direct contact with. “Less than 1 percent of the total number of participants at the festival,” it said.
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Adrian Zdunczyk, who is known in the crypto community for his chart-based technical analyzes of digital assets, said on X that he attended ApeFest and was diagnosed with photokeratitis after a visit to the hospital. Photokeratitis occurs after unprotected exposure to ultraviolet light. “I’m posting this in the hope that my friends who are experiencing the same thing will realize that they need urgent medical attention,” he wrote. He also thanked the organization but emphasized that he “almost lost his sight”. He also calls on the organization to publish an official message with the precautionary measures so that more attendees are reached. “My eyesight tested as almost perfect with no serious corneal damage, thankfully,” he said.
Yuga Labs is behind both the Bored Ape and the CryptoPunks NFT collections. The NFT market as a whole has collapsed after its pandemic-era peak. Makers and traders also argue over the appropriate level of royalty payments.
