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Between 2005 and 2024, there were over 3,100 eye injuries, but more than 1,200 of those were in 2024 alone, according to the study published Thursday in JAMA Ophthalmology. The injuries can be severe and include retinal detachments, orbital fractures and blood collecting in the eye. Eye injuries related to the sport increased to about 405 a year between 2021 and 2024, compared to about 200 a year between 2014 and 2021, the researchers found. More than 40% of the injuries resulted from direct hits from pickleballs. The rest were from direct hits from paddles and from falls. About 20 million people played pickleball in the United States last year, with casual players who play less than eight times a year flocking to the sport. Pickleball may be appealing to inexperienced, less physically fit and older players, because it is low-impact and has rules that are easy to follow, the researchers said. "We've seen a lot more players who are not familiar with the sport entering the court, and that creates a lot of opportunity for injury," Dr. Jonathan C. Tsui, the study's senior author and a professor at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, told the New York Times. The vast majority of the eye injuries – 70% – were in people 50 and older. The researchers called on USA Pickleball, the association that oversees the sport, to adopt guidelines for eye protection to help prevent further injuries. USA Pickleball currently does not require eye protection. Health care costs due to pickleball injuries ranged from $250 million to $500 million, according to studies cited by the researchers.
