After the chaotic first presidential debate on Sept. 29, 2020, many Americans looked to
the vice presidential debate on Oct. 7 as an opportunity for a more civilized discourse.
The night unfolded much more smoothly than the presidential matchup, with Democratic
candidate Senator Kamala Harris, Joe Biden's running mate, and Vice President Mike Pence
mostly exchanging jabs in a respectful manner.
"He said he's gonna repeal the Trump tax cuts."
"Mr. Vice President, I'm speaking."
"I'm speaking."
Although both candidates threw a bit of shade, dodged questions, and occasionally ran over
the allotted time with their responses, the questions and answers took on a more typical
tone.
While the debate was mostly uneventful, a few details stuck out to viewers watching
at home and had the internet buzzing. For one, a fly landed on Pence's head and stayed
there for two minutes.
There was also an issue regarding Mike Pence's left eye, which appeared unusually red during
the live, televised debate. Of course, the internet noticed and was quick to dissect
any and all possible reasons for the discoloration.
One Twitter user said,
"Does Pence have pink eye? Covid symptom alert."
Another tweeted,
"It's VERY red. Pink eye is a symptom of #COVID19. Could also be a subconjunctival hemorrhage
— a broken blood vessel that can occur after a strong cough or sneeze."
Researchers have found that pink eye can be a symptom of COVID-19, but eye redness can
also mean a lot of other things. Pence tested negative for coronavirus and was declared
symptom-free prior to the debate, NPR reported.
Other debate watchers on social media cracked jokes at Pence's expense. One quipped,
"Did Kamala's words b---h slap Mike Pence so hard it broke a blood vessel in his eye?"
Political satirist Jeremy Newberger tweeted,
"I am not sure Mike Pence's left eye is going to survive this debate."
It did, but not without leading to a few amateur diagnoses. What did medical experts have to
say, though?
Some doctors, like 9News health expert Dr. Payal Kohli, have said,
"The eye can be a marker of severe illness, because the people that tended to have eye
symptoms then went on to have a more severe course."
Dr. Alexandra Williamson, an optometrist, weighed in on the discussion around pink eye
as a symptom of the virus in a conversation with the Cleveland Clinic. She pointed out
that it's common to have a "pink eye-type appearance" in cases where the patient has
a respiratory viral infection, saying:
"Anatomically, the eye is connected to the nasal passages through the nasolacrimal duct,
which is where our tears drain into the sinuses. And that connection makes it possible for
viruses to cause problems in both places."
Dr. Williamson also said that, since the novel coronavirus manifests differently in different
people, more research is necessary to make a concrete conclusion.
Dr. Daniel Volland, a Seattle-based optometrist, jumped on Twitter to give his take on Pence's
eye. He wrote,
"Eye doctor here! Temporal Subconjunctival Hemorrhage OS is my diagnosis; it's a broken
blood vessel, not infectious."
In optometrist lingo, OS stands for "oculus sinister," a Latin term which means "left
eye." The right eye is called OD, which stands for "oculus dextrus."
Notably, Joe Biden also had a red left eye in a September 2019 CNN town hall. The Today
show reported that his eye redness was also likely the result of a subconjunctival hemorrhage.
It will come as no big surprise that President Donald Trump was active on Twitter during
the vice presidential debate, tweeting several clips from the debate via Fox News and also
posting a tweet calling Harris "top cop" using caps lock.
After the debate, Trump tweeted:
"Mike Pence WON BIG!"
While the president was optimistic, Twitter wouldn't let him forget about Pence's eye.
Someone tweeted:
"#pinkeyepence is trending. I believe the dude lost the debate just by showing up."
Another replied with a link to pink eye as a possible symptom of COVID-19.
The larger issue, as BuzzFeed pointed out, is that Trump, Pence, and other White House
staff appear to be ignoring the CDC's recommended coronavirus safety precautions, which were
designed to minimize the spread of infection.
The outlet noted that, on Sept. 25, 2020, Pence attended a campaign rally in Virginia.
Then there was the White House event honoring Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett on
Sept. 26, 2020. And on Sept. 27, 2020, Pence attended a White House reception for Gold
Star families.
With all of these crowded events, it's no wonder the internet is curious to find out
if Pence might eventually test positive for COVID-19. His red eye definitely isn't quieting
the speculation.
Check out one of our newest videos right here! Plus, even more Nicki Swift videos about people
in the news are coming soon. Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell so you
don't miss a single one.