Reardon wore spectacles for the first time in a match at the 1985 British Open. He lost 4–5 to Dave Martin after leading 4–1. At the 1985 World Snooker Championship, playing with unassisted vision, Reardon reached the semi-finals, where he lost 5–16 to Davis. He lost to John Campbell in the first round of the 1986 World Snooker Championship, and to Davis in the second round in 1987.