"Luke Littler Opens Up About Life-Changing Surgery at Age Four to Save His £2 Million Darts Dream"

LUKE LITTLER has revealed he had an eye op aged four which put him on the path to tungsten superstardom.

The Nuke, 18, has spoken for the first time about the eye-watering procedure he had when he was a child.

Luke Littler is set to be back in action this SaturdayCredit: Shutterstock Editorial Littler suffered from a condition called Strabismus as a little boyCredit: Refer to Caption

The reigning world champion was diagnosed with Strabismus – a disorder in which the eyes do not properly align with each other when looking at an object.

It is a common condition that affects one in 20 children in the UK.

Littler’s parents Anthony and Lisa decided to consult medics about the issue and felt their child should undergo the surgery at Warrington hospital, the place of his birth.

This is done under general anaesthetic and usually takes less than an hour.

The eye is held open using an instrument called a lid speculum and the surgeon detaches part of the muscle connected to the eye and moves it into a new position.

The muscles are then fixed in their new position with dissolvable stitches – these are hidden behind the eye so they cannot be seen afterwards.

Patients wear a pad over the eye for a short period and painkillers are recommended as there is usually soreness for a few days.

, who threw magnetic darts in nappies aged one-and-a-half, said: “I think it’s called Bog Eye – when you’ve got one normal eye.

Littler’s mother Lisa and father Anthony had him undergo an operationCredit: Getty The Warrington hero had an eye op aged fourCredit: SOCIAL

“I think that’s the last time I was in that hospital, when I was four or five. Obviously got it sorted.

“I don’t have any memories of it now. But obviously it had to be done. And it got done.

“My mum and dad wanted that sorted. When I was younger, I didn’t really care. But now you look at it, obviously it was a good thing to get done.

“Your eyes are really important. There are pictures that me and my family put online (from that time).

“I was very tired at the time, obviously resting. But yeah, now we’re all good.

“It’s my home-town hospital. They do an unbelievable job down there so I think it’s really important to go and support them when I can.”

What an incredible decision that was from the Littlers to go and see the doctors – because fourteen years later, he has become the sport’s biggest name and a multi-millionaire.

Who knows what would have happened if they had NOT gone under the knife? Generally speaking, Littler – who throws in a sport where precision is judged in millimetres – says he does not have an annual eye test.

The world No.1 said: “Not really, no. The last time I had one? Maybe when I was at the hospital.

“Not even with darts, obviously with any normal person, if you start to go blurry or something, then that’s when you have to go to the doctors. So yeah, fingers crossed nothing happens.”

Littler’s family “never change the Christmas dinner (menu)” and he treated December 25 as “chill-out day”.

The darts were not picked up and he only resumed practice on Boxing Day before travelling down for .

The Austrian, 53, is one of the slowest players on Tour and Littler, already a wise head on young shoulders, will have to be patient and bide his time on the oche.

The tournament, which carries a £1million first prize, really starts now with the Last 32, though there are just FIFTEEN seeds through, after many high-profile shocks.

For Littler, his eyes remain firmly on the Sid Waddell Trophy, which has not been retained since Gary Anderson in 2016.

He said: “Everyone’s talking about the million quid. But I’ve said since the World Grand Prix and since the Grand Slam, it’s just about going back-to-back.

“It’s been a decade since Gary did it. Two games instead of the one this year before Christmas. And yeah, I’m happy to come back.

Littler is aiming to become the first man to retain the Sid Waddell Trophy since 2016Credit: Reuters Littler’s darts prowess quickly became apparent