Searle had won 14 consecutive sets without reply to reach his first World Championship quarter-final.
The 38-year-old extended that run to 17 with some clinical finishing in the first three sets against Jonny Clayton.
A 111 finish in the deciding leg of the fifth – one of his three ton-plus checkouts in the match – helped to secure a spot in the last four.
Clayton scored better for long spells of the quarter-final but too many missed attempts on the outer ring proved costly for the Welsh fifth seed, who landed only 10 of his 40 attempts at doubles.
Searle, in contrast, hit 17 of his 30 attempts.
He lives with dominant optic atrophy, a genetic eye condition which affects his vision and for which he wears contact lenses.
He said: “I can’t see particularly well.
“Other people who try to play darts, if they can’t see particularly well, try not to let that hold you back.
“I try to be an inspiration to them.”
