Pickleball has spread throughout the United States.
In just three years, the number of regular players of this racquet sport, which is a cross between tennis and ping pong, has increased by more than 150 percent, to more than 36 million.
But now doctors warn that America’s fastest-growing sport carries a serious health hazard: serious eye injuries that could cause blindness.
in a recent reportDr Andrew G Lee, a neuro-ophthalmologist at Houston Methodist, revealed that the small size of the ball means it “snaps” into the protective socket of the eye, causing bleeding, holes in the retina and conditions such as glaucoma.
“The smaller a ball is, the more it fits in the eye socket without touching the bone,” he said. MedPage today. “That’s why smaller balls, like racquetball and squash, are more likely to cause direct eye injuries than larger tennis, soccer, or baseball balls.”
“Obviously, the incidence will increase with the increasing number of pickleball players.”
Pickleball was invented in 1965 as a backyard children’s game in Washington state and has skyrocketed in popularity ever since.
There has been a huge increase in the number of people suddenly taking to pickleball. UBS estimates that there has been a 150 percent increase in the number of people playing the game.
Dr. Lee and his team called for more vigilance from doctors and pickleball players, as well as protective measures such as wearing glasses.
‘At the time of writing, it is not mandatory to wear protective eyewear to play pickleball at any level. Meanwhile, similar racquet sports, such as squash and racquetball, have mandatory rules about wearing glasses at various levels of the game.’
“Wearing protective glasses can significantly reduce the risk of eye injuries by preventing any objects from coming into contact with the eyes.”
The researchers also noted that the glasses could reduce the sun’s glare, making it easier to see the ball coming.
Dr. Lee said his hospital sees a pickleball-related eye injury on an outpatient basis every three to four months, as well as more serious cases about once a year.
Dr. Albert Li, an ophthalmologist at Hofstra/Northwell Hospital on Long Island, told MedPage Today that he has seen patients with dislocated intraocular lenses, which are artificial lenses placed in the eye to treat vision problems such as cataracts, as well as pinholes. in the macula. part of the retina.
“The main issue is when the energy from the moving pickle ball is transmitted to the eye,” he said. “There are structures that can be injured or bleed.”
This could cause bleeding in front of the eye, known as hyphema, which can lead to diseases such as glaucoma.
Glaucoma, in which the nerve that carries information between the eye and the brain is damaged, can cause blindness if left untreated.
“Even if this bleeding did not occur, we know that structures that help with drainage of fluid from the eye can be damaged after trauma and cause glaucoma in the future,” Dr. Li said.
He also added that the risk of injury increases if you have a pre-existing condition such as cataracts, which are more common in older adults.
In Dr. Lee’s report, the team wrote, “It is also important to note that eye injuries from pickleball are likely underreported and may not always present to emergency departments.”
“Better surveillance of pickleball eye injuries and better understanding of the risk of eye injuries are required.”
“Ultimately, although pickleball is generally considered a safe sport due to its non-contact nature, the risk of eye injuries cannot be overlooked.”
Pickleball was invented in 1965 as a backyard children’s game in Washington state and has skyrocketed in popularity ever since.
According to the Association of Pickleball Professionals, it is now the fastest-growing sport in the U.S., with 48.3 million adults (19 percent) having played at least one game in the past 12 months.
This sport combines elements of tennis, ping pong and badminton in one.
It is played with a flat paddle, with the objective of hitting the ball with the paddle above the next one and preventing the opponent from returning it.
Research on pickleball is still limited, although some other studies have shown that it can increase the risk of injury.
A study presented last week at the 2024 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS), for example, found that in 20 years, there was a 90-fold increase in pickleball injuries.
The researchers also found that the risk was higher for older adults, particularly women over 65, as they are more prone to bone diseases such as osteoporosis. However, men were more than twice as likely to be hospitalized for a bone fracture.
Other recent studies have suggested that racket sports lead to better physical and mental well-being.
In 2022, researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) found that playing racquet sports for at least 2.5 hours a day reduced the risk of premature death by 16 percent in adults ages 59 to 82.
And last year, a survey found that pickleball reduced stress and anxiety in nearly 70 percent of adults over 55, and 64 percent of participants rated the sport as “uplifting.”