Technology
Student claims dodgy ‘iPhone charger’ exploded and ‘partially blinded’ her in one eye
A STUDENT was left partially blind after she claims a faulty ‘iPhone charger’ exploded near her face.
University law student Esther Modede filmed her experience with the burning charger and her trip to the hospital.
The woman claims the charger is an official Apple product, although it’s impossible to say for sure[/caption]
The 19-year-old from from Birmingham, West Mids, said she was plugging her phone in on the evening of April 27 when she noticed that the charging cable looked damaged.
Esther’s phone and charger reportedly started to burn up.
She then noticed smoke coming from the wire.
Moments later, the wire was said to explode and a spark hit Esther directly in her left eye.
The 19-year-old was in hospital for four hours[/caption]
A video shows her travelling to her local hospital where she was said to spend four hours.
She wore a bandage over her eye for three days and revealed the painful moment she removed it.
Esther’s eyesight was still blurred after the bandage removal but she is slowly recovering.
Esther was left partially blinded[/caption]
She said: “I had borrowed my charger to my friend over the weekend and when I got it back it was slightly damaged.
“I didn’t think anything of it so I plugged in my phone to charge and it started burning up.
“I didn’t think it was going to get any worse and then as I was recording it, it started sparking.
“I then got a spark in my eye and I couldn’t see very well at all. I didn’t realise I was that close or that the spark would be able to enter my eye. I was extremely worried.
“Everything went blurry and when I closed my other eye I couldn’t see very well.
“I had the bandage on my eye for three days. When I took the bandage off I couldn’t see very clearly, but my sight has cleared up and is still healing.”
She’s now said to be recovering well[/caption]
Eye specialists at Birmingham City Hospital told the law student that the spark had damaged her cornea.
She added: “The surface of my eye was effected.
“The moment the spark hit my eye my eye shut and I felt it begin to swell. It was a hot sensation. The swelling and the blurring of my sight was worrying.
“My vision as of last week was still recovering but as of currently it’s a lot better and I can now read when the other eye is shut.”
Esther says both her smartphone and charger are official Apple products.
However, the cable in the video appears to be very grey compared to first-party Apple chargers, which are totally white.
The Apple website has a whole section about how counterfeit cables can be dangerous and cause damage your phone or overheat.
Apple was not able to comment on this story.
What can counterfeit Lightning cables do to an iPhone?
Here’s what Apple says on its support page…
- Your iOS device could become damaged
- The cable might be easily damaged
- The connector end might fall off, get very hot, or might not fit properly into your device
- You might not be able to sync or charge your device
Most read in Phones & Gadgets
In other news, time is almost up for Internet Explorer as Microsoft is set to drop it after 25 years.
Microsoft Teams just got some new features that could help it rival WhatsApp.
And, Facebook is facing backlash in the US over plans to create a version of Instagram for children under 13.
Have you ever had any problems with a phone charger? Let us know in the comments…
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