Although some golfers play in sunglasses, it is quite unusual for a sport that is typically played in the sun. Ben Griffin is one of those golfers who protects his eyes, and the reason he does it may worry more than a few of his colleagues.
After the third round of the Memorial Tournament, Griffin told reporters why he wears sunglasses. As you might guess, it has nothing to do with looking cool on the golf course.
“Yeah, it’s interesting. After learning a little bit more about, like, my experience, I’m a little surprised more golfers don’t,” Griffin said about his colleagues not wearing sunglasses.
“I see floaters, I have really bad vision,” he revealed. “So about a year ago is when I started seeing floaters, went to an eye doctor, realized my retina was starting to kind of try to detach itself.”
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According to Golf Digest, quoting a Mayo Clinic publication, the eye floaters are black or gray spots of various shapes that make it difficult to see properly.
If Griffin’s story was disturbing up to this point, what followed was definitely scary.
“I had retinal holes, so I had to go get basically laser surgery to fill in those holes. I had eight retinal holes in both eyes, so I was at risk of losing vision maybe within five or six months had I not gotten the treatment.”
But how did sunglasses come into play? Griffin explained that they are not a preventive measure, but rather a convenience one:
“I still see the floaters, I had to get the surgery just to maintain my level. Because of that, when I wear sunglasses it’s a little bit darker out, so I don’t necessarily see the floaters as well. So if it’s really bright out and I’m not wearing the sunglasses, I look into the clouds or whatever and I see black stuff everywhere.”
Regardless of whether it’s due to the sunglasses or not, the truth is that eye floaters haven’t affected Griffin’s golf game this weekend. After 54 holes, the 29-year-old is in second place in the Memorial Tournament, just one stroke behind leader Scottie Scheffler.
Griffin defeated Scheffler a week ago in the Charles Schwab Challenge. However, according to golf statistician Justin Ray, Scheffler has won the last eight tournaments in which he held the 54-hole lead.
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