Simon Jones: Snooker loopy

Few games match snooker in the need for precise visual acuity stakes, but it also seems to be one of the more difficult sports for players, professional and amateur alike, to find effective vision correction for. 

Although he ultimately lost to China’s Zhao Xintong in the World Championship final recently, Wales’s Mark Williams rolled back the years at the tournament. Along the way Williams’ eyesight was an unexpected talking point. Prior to the tournament, the Welshman, 50, had said his ‘eyes had completely gone,’ and that lens replacement (RLE) surgery had been booked for June. 

That was until the intervention of fellow professional, Anthony Hamilton, who had also undergone RLE. ‘A couple of people I have spoken to, especially Anthony Hamilton at length, have said it is no good under the lights and it has ruined his career,’ said Williams. Hamilton had RLE in 2019 and has previously spoken about the prolonged difficultly with double vision and problems under match condition lighting.