Rutgers New Jersey Medical School-led researchers have identified a striking rise in pickleball-related eye injuries among players visiting emergency departments across the United States. Using two decades of national surveillance data, the team found an accelerating pattern of trauma tied to the sport’s rapid expansion.
Pickleball participation has soared nationwide, with nearly 20 million players by 2024. Its appeal spans generations, and injury-related medical costs have climbed steeply alongside its popularity. Previous analyses of racquet sports such as tennis and badminton documented a range of musculoskeletal and eye injuries. The scale and characteristics of pickleball-related ocular trauma had not yet been quantified.
In the study, “Pickleball-Related Ocular Injuries Among Patients Presenting to Emergency Departments,” published in JAMA Ophthalmology, researchers examined cases logged in the US Consumer Product Safety Commission’s National Electronic Injury Surveillance System from 2005 to 2024 to determine incidence trends and patient demographics.
Seventy-three cases drawn from emergency departments represented an estimated 3,112 eye injuries nationwide, including 1,262 in 2024. Statistical modeling showed an average annual increase of 405 cases between 2021 and 2024. Approximately 70% of patients were at least 50 years old.
Severe presentations involved retinal detachment, orbital fracture, globe trauma, and hyphema. The most common causes included being struck by a ball (43%), a paddle (12%), and falling (28%).
Investigators attribute the steep increase to the sport’s explosive participation and suggested that casual players may be at greater risk because of inexperience or reduced physical conditioning.
Current tournament and recreational play do not require protective eyewear and the U.S. Pickleball organization disapproved a 2024 rule change mandating eyewear. The authors recommend developing standardized safety guidelines for eye protection to prevent vision-threatening injuries as pickleball’s popularity continues to expand.
Written for you by our author Justin Jackson, edited by Sadie Harley, and fact-checked and reviewed by Robert Egan—this article is the result of careful human work. We rely on readers like you to keep independent science journalism alive.
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More information:
Corey R. Lacher et al, Pickleball-Related Ocular Injuries Among Patients Presenting to Emergency Departments, JAMA Ophthalmology (2025). DOI: 10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2025.3577
Dolly Ann Padovani-Claudio et al, Benefits and Limitations of Using Population Databases for Eye Research—More Than Meets the Eye, JAMA Ophthalmology (2025). DOI: 10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2025.3882
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Pickleball popularity surge serves up spike in serious eye injuries (2025, October 20)
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