A new study finds that eye injuries associated with pickleball have increased at an “alarming rate” as the sport’s popularity has grown in the United States.
More and more people in the United States are playing pickleball as a recreational activity Recent estimates indicate And 19.8 million people participated in this sport in 2024, an increase of about 45% from 2023 and 311% from 2020.
To conduct this study, they turned to the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS), a government-funded database that documents injuries associated with consumer products. NEISS primarily collects its own data From a sample of approximately 100 hospitals with emergency departments, which were chosen as a representative snapshot of the more than 5,000 US hospitals with emergency departments.
The team focused on data collected between the beginning of 2005 and the end of 2024. The research showed a total of 2,472 pickleball-related injuries to any part of the body, including 73 eye injuries. These numbers indicate that there were approximately 137,470 total infections and 3,110 eye infections nationwide during this time frame.
Notably, no eye injuries associated with pickleball were reported before 2014, and 88% of reported eye injuries occurred between 2022 and 2024. The findings suggest that the rate of eye injuries increased by about 405 cases per year from 2021 to 2024, according to the authors’ calculations.
The researchers speculated that about 70% of all eye injuries were reported in players aged 50 or older, which may indicate that older age groups are more susceptible to these types of injuries due to changes in muscle mass, bone density or balance.
In cases where the cause of injury was known, the most common mechanism was being struck by a ball, followed by a fall or being struck by a paddle. Periocular lacerations — wounds to the area immediately surrounding the eyeball — account for the highest percentage of reported injuries. Other minor injuries included scratches to the cornea and the clear window in the front of the eye. Inflammation of the iris, the colored part of the eye; and bruising around the eyes, known as black eyes.
More serious injuries that can threaten a person’s sight include hyphema, where blood collects in front of the eye; Orbital fracture Retinal detachment and ball trauma, where the wall of the eyeball is torn, usually by blunt force.
The study’s authors noted that recent surveys suggest the rise in pickleball participation is due to an “influx of casual players,” as opposed to “core players” who play more than eight times a year.
“Although the increase in eye injuries may simply reflect the increasing number of players, it is also possible that casual players are more susceptible to injury due to limited experience, unfamiliarity with the game, or lower level of fitness,” the researchers suggested. But they said in their report that more data is needed to confirm this suspicion.
In particular, because the NEISS data are drawn from only a sample of EDs, they may not be fully representative of the nation as a whole, the authors added. The study also did not include patients who may have sought outpatient care, rather than the emergency department. However, the data point to a potentially “worrying” trend, the researchers concluded.
“Currently, there are no official guidelines regarding eye protection in pickleball,” they added. The American Academy of Ophthalmology recommends pickleball players Wear protective eye equipment during games, but this precaution is not mandated or promoted by pickleball organizations, the study authors noted.
“Increasing awareness of age-specific risk factors and developing standardized eye protection recommendations may help reduce infection rates and prevent vision loss,” they wrote.
This article is for informational purposes only and is not intended to provide medical advice.