Searle on struggles with eye problems: "I have to put on glasses in the car. Those glasses give me just enough sight to drive"

Having good eyesight is one of the main aspects to being a top darts player and despite having a bad right eye, Ryan Searle has still forged a career as just that, a darts professional who has of course won a PDC ranking title for the first time this year.

“I've had it since I was little. My right eye is too big for my eye socket. My left eye should have been taped to make my right eye stronger. If that didn't happen, the damage will already have happened at the age of eight, ”says Searle.

It bothers Searle especially when driving. “If my left eye was as bad as my right, I would have been officially non-sighted. I have to put on glasses in the car. Those glasses give me just enough sight to drive. So you don't want to get in the car with me! ”

Searle has meanwhile climbed to the 42nd place in the world rankings and that may come as a bit of a surprise because his eye problem of course also bothers him during darts.

“I see a bit blurry. I like going to tops, but the Unicorn letters at the top are white. For me they flow together with the thread. Therefore, I cannot always tell whether I have hit tops. I have to wait and see what will be announced. But you get used to it. ”

The 32-year-old went on to say he learned to live with it. "It doesn't bother me so much in everyday life, but I know it won't get any better."