How Tanning Beds Led to Davey Boy Smith Jr.’s Eye Surgery: "Learn from Me"

Davey Boy Smith Jr. has been sidelined since January, but the reason behind his absence has now come to light—he underwent eye surgery after developing cataracts. The former WWE and AJPW star shared the details of his unexpected health scare on Cafe de Rene with Rene Dupree, revealing that years of tanning bed use might have been the cause.

“I came back home in January from a really successful trip, and I somehow got cataracts in my eyes from the 20 years of those shitty tanning beds. Hopefully, people can learn from that,” Smith Jr. explained.

Like many wrestlers, Smith Jr. admitted that he didn’t always take proper precautions when using tanning beds. “I didn’t like the lines [it would leave] around your eyes when you go tanning, so a lot of times, I just put a towel on,” he said. “And the last six months or so, I was using the old tanning beds over in Japan, you gotta lay in them for 30-40 minutes, and they’re the old UV, they’re lousy bulbs.”

After the cataracts developed, Smith Jr. quickly scheduled surgery, but the procedure came at a hefty price. “It cost me about fourteen grand, and I had to pay it. For people, with wrestlers, it’s always like, learn from this guy, don’t do this. Hopefully, they learn from me and yourself and your dad to save your money because you don’t know when stuff like that will happen. Luckily, I had the money to pay for it,” he recalled.

The surgery improved his vision quickly, but the experience was still unsettling. “I couldn’t even fly. I couldn’t drive or do anything,” he said. Thankfully, doctors confirmed the issue wasn’t due to in-ring damage. “They said it was a protein buildup behind the eye. But you know what, it gave me a whole new lease on life,” Smith Jr. said.

For three weeks, he struggled with even simple tasks. “There were bad times. I couldn’t even watch YouTube, I had to order in Uber Eats, and I had to scroll and really zoom in to actually see the menu,” he shared. However, now that he has fully recovered, he’s more motivated than ever. “Since I’ve come back from it, I’ve been extra motivated and doing great. So it was a lousy thing, but it was something that made me appreciate how important your eyesight is.”