A hand holds a paddle against a clear blue sky, preparing to hit a yellow pickleball. The scene suggests a bright, sunny day, with a pickleball clearly moving.
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Stefania Belvini La Ozia/Moment RF/Getty Images
Pickleball quickly became huge in the United States Nearly 20 million People play this sport.
But this popularity comes at a price. With more people on the field, pickleball-related eye injuries increased, including lacerations around the eyes, corneal abrasions, and inflamed iris. A He studies Published this week in Gamma Ophthalmology It is estimated that the incidence of these infections has risen significantly, and will rise by an estimated 405 cases each year from 2021 to 2024.
The researchers looked at data from a representative group of patients in emergency departments across the United States to understand which pickleball players are particularly vulnerable to eye injuries and how they occur. From there, they estimated what those trends looked like at the national level.
Given the “alarming” increase in eye injury cases, the study authors called for standardized eye protection guidelines, which have been found to reduce up to 90% of them are sports related Eye injuries. Other sports such as squash have imposed such guidelines.
The study found that 70% of cases were in adults 50 years or older. Dr. Natasha Desai, co-director of the Women’s Sports Medicine Center at NYU Langone, was surprised to see this finding because a large percentage of Sports-related injuries It occurs in young players.
Desai, who was not involved in this study, does not believe that sports have necessarily become more dangerous. “More people are playing, so there will be more infections at a higher level,” she says.
Dr. Corey Lasher, an ophthalmologist resident at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and lead author of the paper, points out that there are plenty of ways you can get injured during pickleball, including getting hit with a ball or paddle or falling.
“A lot of people think that just because it’s a volatile ball, you won’t get hurt,” he says. But it’s still risky because “everything is very fast-paced in baseball and you’re playing on a very small field.”
However, convincing players to wear eye protection is easier said than done, Desai points out. It is another piece of equipment that players will have to purchase and bring with them. With so many options on the market, choosing a pair can be daunting.
Lasher says players will benefit from standardized eye protection guidelines in pickleball. “There’s $10 eye protection and there’s $160. How do you know which one to buy?”
If you’re shopping for eyeglasses, Lacher and Desai recommend products made of shatter-resistant polycarbonate and those that meet American Society for Testing and Materials standards. F3164 standard.
Dr. Daniel Hennick, an ophthalmologist resident at Yale University School of Medicine and an avid pickleball player, Search done Which groups of players wear eye protection and why others don’t. He says one of the most common reasons players don’t use goggles is because they don’t realize the risks.
Having uniform guidelines, posting them outside the courts for players to see, making eye protection more user-friendly, and encouraging professional pickleball athletes to be role models for the influx of new players can help reduce injuries, Hennick says.
The paper notes that its limitations are a small sample size and reliance on a database that only includes emergency departments that choose to collect data. But Lasher believes that the main goal of the study is to raise awareness of these injuries.
Hennick agrees, noting that these injuries can sometimes be life-changing: “We’re talking about hundreds, if not thousands, of injuries every year that could be prevented with what would be a relatively simple intervention.”
USA Pickleball did not respond to a request for comment on the study’s call for eye protection guidelines.