While live on stage, a top contender for the Democratic Party’s 2020 presidential nomination suffered a medical event that left onlookers more concerned about his health than about the policy positions he was advocating.
During CNN’s climate town hall on Wednesday, former Vice President Joe Biden’s left eye shockingly began filling up with blood.
What happened?
Biden was fielding questions from assembled members of the “town” when it appeared that a blood vessel burst in one of his eyes, which quickly turned a jarring, opaque shade of red.
According to the Mayo Clinic, a broken blood vessel in the eye is called a subconjunctival hemorrhage. Most of the time the condition is harmless and can be caused by something as simple as a forceful sneeze.
However, in other individuals, such an event can be a symptom of a more serious underlying issue, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, or problems with blood clotting.
Either way, it is not uncommon for someone who suffers a subconjunctival hemorrhage to be unaware that it has occurred, as appeared to be the case for Biden, who went on with the event as though nothing even happened.
Complex medical history
Perhaps such an incident would be less worrisome if Biden didn’t already have an extensive history of health issues — particularly involving his blood vessels.
In 1988, Biden had near misses with two different aneurysms. The first one actually burst, putting Biden on the brink of death. A few months later surgeons were able to clip the second one just before it was also was about to rupture.
“Our doctor told us there was a 50-50 chance Joe wouldn’t survive surgery,” wrote wife Jill Biden of the latter incident in her recently-released autobiography. “He also said that it was even more likely that Joe would have permanent brain damage if he survived. And if any part of his brain would be adversely affected, it would be the area that governed speech.”
Biden’s health issues don’t stop there. An irregular heartbeat, high cholesterol, an enlarged prostate are among the other physical concerns Biden has faced over the years.
Biden’s fitness…or lack thereof
At 76 years of age, Biden is one of the oldest candidates in the Democrat field, along with 77-year-old Bernie Sanders (I-VT). Putting aside his policies, a legitimate question is whether he is even healthy enough for the job.
The laundry list of conditions cited above certainly give the impression that he is not.
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