Vice President Mike Pence's left eye has become one of the biggest focuses of discussion following the first vice presidential debate Wednesday night after viewers noticed it looked like he had pink eye.
Pink eye is a symptom of coronavirus with many health experts warning that redness of the eyes is a key indicator that an individual is infected with the deadly virus.
It is not clear what caused the redness in Pence's eyes but, with COVID-19 cases currently sweeping through the top ranks of the White House, social media quickly went into overdrive.
Swathes of people, including former McCain campaign manager Steve Schmidt and former news anchor Katie Couric, questioned whether the vice president has also been struck down with the virus and shared case studies and articles on pink eye being linked to the virus.
Vice President Mike Pence's left eye has become one of the biggest focuses of discussion following the first vice presidential debate Wednesday night after viewers noticed it looked like he had pink eye
The first vice presidential debate got under way Wednesday night where Pence and his Democratic rival Kamala Harris clashed on topics including coronavirus, climate change, racial justice and the Supreme Court.
But while the two opponents couldn't agree on much during the discussion, American viewers were all in agreement afterward about Pence's suspicious looking eye.
Some Twitter users dubbed the vice president 'Pink Eye Pence' as they speculated he could be the next member of the Trump administration to test positive for COVID.
'Pence has that covid pink eye,' one person shared.
'Is Pink eye a symptom of Covid. Asking for @VP,' one user wrote.
Another said: 'Kamala Harris brought heat and the truth. Mike Pence brought pink eye and a fly.'
'Don't let the fly distract you from what's important: mike pence's pink eye,' a third person shared.
Pink eye, or conjunctivitis, can be a symptom of coronavirus - though it is far less common than symptoms such as coughing, fever and breathing difficulties.
University of Alberta researchers said in June that conjunctivitis can be a primary symptom of the virus and that someone showing signs of it should take a COVID test.
A case study in March found a 29-year-old woman had a severe case of conjunctivitis but minimal respiratory symptoms.
The woman tested positive for the virus - despite showing minimal or no signs of the most common respiratory symptoms.
Pink eye is a symptom of coronavirus with many health experts warning that redness of the eyes is a key indicator that an individual is infected with the deadly virus. Pence's eye last night
The nation's leading US infectious disease expert Dr Anthony Fauci has also warned that coronavirus can be contracted through the eyes and told Americans to wear eye protection to block pathogens entering this way.
Coronavirus is primarily contagious through respiratory droplets expelled when people cough, sneeze, speak or breathe and these particles can infect others through the eyes.
'If you have goggles or an eye shield, you should use it,' Dr Fauci said back in July.
However despite several medical case studies showing pink eye as a sign of the virus, the CDC doesn't include it on its list of known symptoms.
Social media users debated whether Pence has coronavirus after he appeared with pink eye
There could also be several other reasons for Pence's pink eye as conjunctivitis is commonly linked to numerous other conditions including other viruses associated with the common cold, upper respiratory tract infection, and, in rarer instances, herpes and sexually transmitted diseases.
Other causes include bacteria getting into the eye, chemicals, dry eyes, blepharitis (chronic inflammation of the eyelids) and allergies.
Dr. Jennifer Ashton told ABC News in the immediate aftermath of the debate that while up to 30 percent of COVID patients have pink eye, the vice president could have got some make-up in his eye as he prepared for his TV appearance.
'It has been reported, even though it's limited in the medical literature, that anywhere from 11 to 30 percent of COVID-positive patients can have pink eye - it can be an early sign but he also could have just had some makeup in his eye,' she said.
Pence's physician also announced he had tested negative for the virus both Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday on his arrival in Salt Lake City, where the debate was held.
But, as has been seen with the White House outbreak, negative test results only reflect that specific moment in time and don't guarantee the person isn't infected.
