Image: Instagram/@ramsayderek07
MANILA, Philippines — Showbiz hunk Derek Ramsay recently revealed that he was rushed to the hospital emergency room after he accidentally looked straight into an ultraviolet (UV) light as he was trying to fix it.
“Last week yata natakbo ako sa ER kasi being myself, Mr. Fix It, meron kaming UV light dito sa bahay,” the Kapuso actor shared his scary experience in an interview over GMA’s “Mars Pa More” aired Sept. 23.
(I think it was last week when I was rushed to the ER because being myself, Mr. Fix It, we have a UV light here at home.)
When the actor turned on the UV light, he saw that it was flickering.
Ramsay’s girlfriend, Andrea Torres, also shared in the same interview that she warned him about looking directly into the UV light.
“Edi ginawa ko, tinignan ko (So what I did was I looked at it),” Ramsay recalled in laughter.
“Mga 2 a.m., di ko na madilat yung mata ko (Around 2 a.m., I can’t open my eyes.),” he added. “I went to the bathroom, naghugas ako ng mata, it got worse.”
Because of the worsening situation, Ramsay then woke up Torres so he could be rushed for medical care.
Ramsay also shared that he used eye drops, thinking that it would alleviate the pain. However, he said he started screaming after he used it.
“I was screaming in pain. Ito naman si Andrea, [sinabi niya] ‘Bakit siya sumisigaw?’ So sinubukan niya sa sarili niya [yung eye drops],” Ramsay said.
(Andrea then said “Why is he screaming?” So she too tried the eyedrops to herself.)
“Eh wala naman [nangyari] (But nothing even happened.),” Torres then recalled after applying the eye drops.
“Anyway, I was rushed to the hospital dahil nga daw sa UV light, and I was really worried that I lost my eyesight,” he said.
The Department of Health (DOH) had previously warned against devices emitting UV light, which is used to supposedly disinfect objects or surfaces.
“These [devices] cannot be used as a substitute for manual cleansing using bleach solution or alcohol to remove contaminants from … surfaces,” DOH spokesperson Maria Rosario Vergeire explained in an online press briefing back in June.
“They may cause damage to one’s sight, skin irritation and burns, and increase the risk of skin cancer,” she added.