Yuga Labs, the parent company of non-fungible token (NFT) collections such as Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC), organized an in-real-life (IRL) event for its community from Nov. 3 to Nov. 5 in Hong Kong. However, the post-event experience for some attendants has not been great.
ApeFest Participants Suffer Eye Problems
Crypto trader Adrian Zduńczyk was diagnosed with photokeratitis after experiencing severe eye burns due to exposure to ultraviolet (UV) lights. He wrote:
“We’ve most likely been exposed to experience similar to Mt Everest climbers – snow blindness.
“Snow blindness is caused by unprotected exposure of the cornea and conjunctiva to ultraviolet (UV) light, specifically UVB. Snow blindness is therefore sunburn of the eye and can be extremely painful.”
He strongly urged others to get their eyes checked.
A community member wrote on X (Twitter) about a similar incident that happened at a party in Hong Kong six years ago. They wrote:
“Six years ago in Hong Kong, Hypebeast had a party, 3rd party contractors installed disinfecting UV lights, instead of stage lights, and people had similar eye injuries, burning, blindness, photokeratitis
it’s possible this happened”
Lastly, BAYC clarified that it is trying to find the root cause of the ApeFest eye problems. The NFT company claims that “much less than 1% of those attending and working the event had these symptoms.”
While many anticipate that the bear market is getting over, the NFT market is still struggling. The screenshot below shows that the NFT sales count is near their yearly lows.
Meanwhile, in October, Yuga Labs announced a workforce reduction due to the market conditions. Yuga Labs’ CEO, Daniel Alegre, who took over responsibility in April 2023, is trying to engage with the community through numerous IRL events.
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