The Ricker has poor eyesight.

Maybe it's because he's old. Or maybe it's because he walks around in a dim house. Or maybe it's because he spent too much time staring at bright light bulbs as a kid (which would explain his aversion to light in his later years). Maybe it's because he wore rose-colored prescription sunglasses in the 1980s and 1990s, long before the harmful effects of rose-colored prescription glasses were known.

Because of his sight, the Ricker has developed some peculiar habits. Though he has a TV in nearly every room, he watches television mainly in two rooms: the living room and the bedroom. In the living room, he watches sports and other shows where he doesn't need to "see" the content, as he can barely see the TV, glasses or not.

When he wants to watch a movie or the news, he watches in the bedroom, where the TV is about three feet away. Once, he had some friends over for dinner and a movie; he made them watch the movie in the bedroom (which has no chairs) while he was laying in bed, because he was too lazy (or maybe just too inconsiderate) to go into the living room and wear his glasses, so everyone could sit.