MARK WILLIAMS is “scared” to undergo eye surgery in case it ends his snooker career.
The Welsh potting veteran, 50, revealed earlier this year that “every single shot seems blurry” on the table because his “eyes have gone”.
In June, he booked a date for lens replacement surgery to rectify the issue.
But then he made the World Championship final for the fifth time – he was beaten by Zhao Xintong in the Crucible showdown – and changed his mind.
Ahead of his return to the UK Championship on Sunday, the three-time world champion faces a dilemma about whether to have treatment, having postponed the op several times.
Williams said: “My eyes are getting worse. Every five, six months I can notice them getting worse.
“I have been doing stuff on a practice table with Lee Walker to try and play in a way where it helps my eyes out a bit.
“If something is really close to going in, I can’t see if it goes or not.
“I’ve done it a few times now. It’s cost me frames where I don’t think it goes and then the other player gets on the same shot and he just pots it.
“What can I say? I’m afraid to get it done. I paid my deposit. I postponed it three times.
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“I was supposed to go in November again. I’ve postponed it again until January.
“But I’m just scared because if I do it and it doesn’t go well, that’s the end of my career.
“For some reason, even though I’m struggling with my eyes, I’m still doing alright. I’m still getting to the latter stages.
“I won a tournament this year at 50. Probably getting to the final of the World Championship against Zhao Xintong probably did me in a bit.
“Because I was having it done a week or two after that. By getting to that final, it’s put me off a bit and I just keep postponing it.
“If my form really goes downhill and I can’t win a game, I’ll get it done. I just can’t bring myself to do it at the minute.
“I’m not going to play any better than I am, even if I’ve got perfect eyesight.”
Whenever Williams has spoken about his deteriorating vision, his remarks have been met with scepticism in some quarters.
Those in the sport say, how can he not see the balls if he keeps winning matches or potting centuries?
List of all-time Snooker World Champions
BELOW is a list of snooker World Champions by year.
The record is for the modern era, widely considered as dating from the 1968-69 season, when the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) took control of the sport.
The first World Championships ran from 1927 – with a break from 1941-45 because of World War II and 1958-63 because of a dispute in the sport.
Joe Davis (15), Fred Davis and John Pulman (both 8) were the most successful players during that period.
Stephen Hendry and Ronnie O’Sullivan share the record for the most titles in the modern era, with seven each.
- 1969 – John Spencer
- 1970 – Ray Reardon
- 1971 – John Spencer
- 1972 – Alex Higgins
- 1973 – Ray Reardon (2)
- 1974 – Ray Reardon (3)
- 1975 – Ray Reardon (4)
- 1976 – Ray Reardon (5)
- 1977 – John Spencer (2)
- 1978 – Ray Reardon (6)
- 1979 – Terry Griffiths
- 1980 – Cliff Thorburn
- 1981 – Steve Davis
- 1982 – Alex Higgins (2)
- 1983 – Steve Davis (2)
- 1984 – Steve Davis (3)
- 1985 – Dennis Taylor
- 1986 – Joe Johnson
- 1987 – Steve Davis (4)
- 1988 – Steve Davis (5)
- 1989 – Steve Davis (6)
- 1990 – Stephen Hendry
- 1991 – John Parrott
- 1992 – Stephen Hendry (2)
- 1993 – Stephen Hendry (3)
- 1994 – Stephen Hendry (4)
- 1995 – Stephen Hendry (5)
- 1996 – Stephen Hendry (6)
- 1997 – Ken Doherty
- 1998 – John Higgins
- 1999 – Stephen Hendry (7)
- 2000 – Mark Williams
- 2001 – Ronnie O’Sullivan
- 2002 – Peter Ebdon
- 2003 – Mark Williams (2)
- 2004 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (2)
- 2005 – Shaun Murphy
- 2006 – Graeme Dott
- 2007 – John Higgins (2)
- 2008 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (3)
- 2009 – John Higgins (3)
- 2010 – Neil Robertson
- 2011 – John Higgins (4)
- 2012 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (4)
- 2013 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (5)
- 2014 – Mark Selby
- 2015 – Stuart Bingham
- 2016 – Mark Selby (2)
- 2017 – Mark Selby (3)
- 2018 – Mark Williams (3)
- 2019 – Judd Trump
- 2020 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (6)
- 2021 – Mark Selby (4)
- 2022 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (7)
- 2023 – Luca Brecel
- 2024 – Kyren Wilson
- 2025 – Zhao Xintong
Most World Titles (modern era)
- 7 – Stephen Hendry, Ronnie O’Sullivan
- 6 – Ray Reardon, Steve Davis
- 4 – John Higgins, Mark Selby
- 3 – John Spencer, Mark Williams
- 2 – Alex Higgins
Certainly that was the case when he lifted the Xi’an Grand Prix last month, following a 10-3 crushing of Shaun Murphy in the final.
At the age of 50 years and 206 days, he became the oldest winner of a ranking tournament.
Yet Williams – who plays David Gilbert this evening in York in the last Triple Crown event of 2025 – said: “Honestly, I couldn’t give a s***.
“I never worried about people questioning me. I read online that some were saying there’s nothing wrong with my eyes.
“Who cares what other people think? I don’t. I don’t care. All I can say is I don’t wear glasses every day for the fun of it.”
