Pickleball has skyrocketed in popularity in recent years, becoming a familiar sight in neighborhoods and community centers.
The sport has grown more than 223% in the past three years, with increased participation across every age group.
But that increase in players has also brought a rise in injuries, particularly eye injuries.
According to a new study, pickleball eye injuries can include retinal detachments, fractures, and even vision loss.
In 2024, researchers estimate pickleball-related eye injuries resulted in more than 1,200 emergency room visits—three times higher than just a few years ago.
Seventy percent of those injuries were in players aged 50 and over.
Dr. Clara Colon Garcia-Moliner, an ophthalmologist at DMC, said, “Specifically, in the last four years, that number has risen quite dramatically.”
Garcia-Moliner said, “As more people play, more injuries can happen, and as more inexperienced players enter the game, also more injuries can happen.”
A different study found that many eye injuries occur when the ball bounces poorly off a player’s own paddle or their partner’s, hitting them in the face at close range.
Experts want to see more players using shatterproof eye protection, as is common in racquetball or squash.
Garcia-Moliner said, “Racquetball goggles are probably the easiest thing to get and kind of like the more adequate eye protection.”
She emphasized that regular glasses or sunglasses don’t count as protection.
“Regular sunglasses are not really made to withstand a hit, whereas these are made specifically to withstand the hit, from, you know, anywhere from a basketball to baseballs to anything like dense racquetballs. So those are the ones that we usually recommend.”
Garcia-Moliner said