14 DAY TRIAL // It has since become an Internet meme and something that will be forever linked in the minds of Americans everywhere with the Sochi Olympics. TV anchor Bob Costas showed the world a wicked case of pink eye when he covered the winter Olympics in Russia and now Page Six claims to know where he got it from.
Speculation ran rife as to how exactly NBC prime-time host Bob Costas managed to contract a strong case of pink eye right before one of the biggest events of the year on television. In fact, the infection got so bad that he eventually had to step down as anchor for six days.
It has now been revealed that his viral conjunctivitis in both eyes was due to a botched Botox procedure. Apparently, the anchor wanted to smooth out some of the wrinkles on his face before the broadcast of the Olympics began but he got way more than he bargained for.
“Bob’s eye infection was due to botched Botox. This isn’t the first time he’s had it,” said a source close to the NBC network, hinting that Mr. Costas is not new to experimenting with plastic surgery and the “beneficial” and “rejuvenating” effects of Botox.
Meanwhile, the NBC has vehemently denied this allegation, having one of its spokespeople slam the rumor “This has zero truth to this. Zero,” but it's already too late, as the seed of doubt has been planted in the minds of television viewers.
The medical reality is that contracting an eye infection from a Botox injection is a pretty rare occurrence. Doctors claim that the only way this can happen is if the patient suffers an allergic reaction.
One such doctor who specializes in plastic surgery, Dr. Mark Warfel claims that “If the Botox procedure is done properly, the patient shouldn’t get pink eye. It is highly unlikely unless the procedure was unclean, when the patient could contract cellulitis of the eyelid.”
For those of you that don't remember, Costas was actually forced to step down for a while from the anchor chair due to his worsening infection. Nearly a week went by until Costas was able to shake off the pink eye, during which time he was replaced by Matt Lauer and Meredith Vieira.
As Bob struggled with the infection that spread from his left eye to the right, he reported suffering from a series of symptoms that included light sensitivity and blurred vision. He later recalled about the incident “The worst three days of it I was primarily in a darkened room,” as he couldn't looking into strong lights.