PETALING JAYA, March 19 — Asian-American citizen Xiao Zhen Xie is now too afraid to even step out of her home.

The 76-year-old suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after being punched in the eyes by an attacker on Wednesday according to a gofundme account set up by her family 

She had fought back against her attacker using a bat in San Francisco’s Market Street at a traffic light that left her attacker with injuries.

Both Xiao and the attacker, Steven Jenkins, were then hospitalised, according to CBS.

This is not the first time for Jenkins after allegedly attacking another senior citizen in a separate incident.

Police are investigating both attacks by Jenkins and are trying to determine if bias was a factor.

Xiao's family set up a fundraising account to pay off her medical bills. — Screengrab via gofundme.com

CBS reported that Xiao had lived in San Francisco for 26 years and was shaken up by the attack and her immediate reaction was to fight back.

Xiao’s daughter, Dong-Mei Li added that her mother was very traumatised and that her eye is still bleeding.

"The right eye still cannot see anything and is still bleeding and we have something to absorb the bleeding.”

Meanwhile, witnesses told Fox News that a woman, believed to be Xie, was scolding the attacker in Cantonese.

"You bum, why did you hit me?” she was reported saying.

 

 

San Francisco police are investigating the assault against Xie and are enforcing patrols in the area’s predominantly Asian neighbourhoods following the recent surge in attacks against the community.

 

 

Funds received to the gofundme account set up by her family will be used to cover her medical expenses, her therapy treatment and other bills.

Xiao’s attack blew up on Twitter with many conflicting comments from users.

@Dstan24552710 wrote: "I still wonder why Asians have not armed themselves with the best assault rifles money can buy. 

"They are the most educated demographic, the smartest group and the richest demographic (total income per capita). Defend yourselves,” he wrote.

Another user meanwhile said that Xiao should have been seated and actively attended to because of her age and her swelling.

"No one tried to communicate nor calm her. Racism is still rampant in the medical field,” she wrote.