Eye injuries have skyrocketed post pickleball craze, study finds

Doctors in the US have warned of an alarming increase in eye injuries following the surge in popularity of the tennis-badminton hybrid sport, pickleball.

A new study published in the journal JAMA Ophthalmology reveals there were an estimated 3,112 pickleball-related eye injuries between 2005 and 2024, with more than 1250 of those documented in 2024 alone.

Some of the worst injuries related to the trending sport included retinal detachment, broken eye sockets, and eye bleeding, say doctors from New Jersey who were part of the study.

Eye protection is currently not mandated for either casual or professional pickleball.

The findings, according to doctors, call for new standardised guidelines around eye protection for the sport.

Pickleball, a sport invented in 1965 in Washington State, combining the elements of tennis, badminton, and ping-pong, has soared in popularity in recent times, sparked partly by celebrities increasingly taking to the sport.

Its straightforward rules have contributed to its broad appeal, with estimates suggesting there are nearly 20 million players in the US alone.

However, the incidence and types of pickleball-related eye injuries “remain unexplored”, scientists say.

In the new study, researchers assessed data from the US National Electronic Injury Surveillance System database for the period between 2005 and 2024.

They analysed the incidence of pickleball-related ocular injuries and found that it increased by an estimated 405 injuries per year from 2021 to 2024.

In 2024 alone, the study found that there were over 1,200 eye injuries related to pickleball, with the mechanism of injury being “hit with ball” 43 per cent of the time, a fall 28 per cent of the time, and 12 per cent of injuries due to being hit with the paddle.

Top injuries included abrasions to the cornea and eyelid lacerations, but more serious injuries like retinal detachment and fracture of the eye socket bones were also reported.

“These data may inform changes in consumer protection recommendations. Currently, to our knowledge, there is no mandate or guidance for eye protection from USA Pickleball, the governing body for pickleball in the US,” researchers wrote.

“Although the increase in ocular 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 physical fitness,” they added.

The findings prove that pickleball-related ocular injuries have increased starkly over the past four years in line with the sport’s growing popularity.

“Pickleball should consider the recommendations from the American Academy of Ophthalmology and develop evidence-based guidance on protective eyewear to reduce the risk of injury,” researchers wrote.

The study also calls for educational programmes and campaigns to promote eye-safety measures among pickleball players.

“These types of programs have shown success in other sports, including squash, another racquet and ball sport, where players exposed to protective eyewear promotion and education were 2.4 times more likely to wear it than those not exposed,” researchers wrote.