Overview
- Emergency-department surveillance estimates point to 1,262 pickleball-related eye injuries in 2024 and about 3,112 from 2005–2024, with an average increase of roughly 405 cases per year since 2021.
- Roughly 70% of the injuries occurred in people 50 and older, with researchers noting higher risk in this age group despite the sport’s broad popularity.
- The most common mechanisms were ball strikes (43%), falls (28%), and paddle impacts (12%), reflecting the sport’s fast projectiles and close court spacing.
- Clinical severity ranged from periocular lacerations and corneal abrasions to retinal detachment, orbital fractures, globe trauma, and hyphema, which can threaten vision.
- Authors and ophthalmology groups recommend ASTM F3164-compliant protective eyewear; an accompanying editorial notes NEISS sampling limits, and USA Pickleball last year rejected a rule to mandate goggles.