There's a huge difference between reading music and sight reading music. Being able to read music is important because it is how musical ideas are communicated

There's a huge difference between reading music and sight reading music. Being able to read music is important because it is how musical ideas are communicated with precision. Sight reading is a skill that is only useful in certain professional contexts and adds nothing to one's musical ability. You can safely dispense with sight reading as a skill if you will not be using it.