Chad Johnson had an incredible run in the NFL, frustrating defenses with his speed and trash-talking. But what fans didn’t know is what makes his story even crazier; he played his entire career with just one working eye. Yep, you read that right.
Johnson recently revealed on Nightcap that he’s almost always worn glasses because of a vision issue, and for years, he managed to dominate the league while basically seeing the field through one eye.
Ocho’s Eye Trouble Began in 1993
Chad Johnson said his vision issues started in 1993, long before his NFL career. He recalled waking up one morning with severe inflammation in his right eye.
“1993, I woke up with inflammation in my eye similar to swimming in the salt water,” he explained.
At the time, his right eye was already lazy, and the inflammation made it worse. “My eye was like that. The majority through high school, it was, very very lazy,” he said.
His grandmother initially thought it was pink eye and kept him home from school. “She said, ‘You’re not going to school, whatever.’ Few days go by, nothing happens,” Johnson added.
Though the swelling eventually faded, the vision didn’t return. “The pink eye, the swelling all went away but I still couldn’t see out my right eye.” That’s when his grandmother finally took him to the doctor.
Chad Johnson’s Eye Couldn’t Get Fixed
After dealing with inflammation and blurred vision in high school, Chad Johnson eventually underwent surgery on his right eye. But the results didn’t fix the issue.
“I go have surgery,” he said. “Whatever happened I can’t remember what the procedure was, but I could not see through my right eye since 1993.”
Since then, Johnson has worn glasses regularly, not just for style, but to help manage the drifting in his right eye. “So I always have glasses on most of the time because my eye will drift off sometimes,” he explained.
What’s truly wild is that Johnson played his entire NFL career, six Pro Bowls, over 11,000 receiving yards, and countless highlights, with just one working eye. “And the funny thing about it is I played my entire career with one eye,” he revealed.
It’s not just impressive. It’s unbelievable. Johnson not only competed at the highest level of football but dominated it, all while lacking full depth perception and field vision. It’s just another layer to one of the most unique careers the NFL has ever seen.