Proper Eye Protection recommended for Pickleball Players for avoiding increasingly common eye injuries: JAMA
A study published in JAMA Ophthalmology has found that eye injuries in pickleball are becoming increasingly common as the sport gains popularity. Despite this risk, most amateur players reported wearing regular prescription eyeglasses on the court, while only 38.81% of those using eyewear wore dedicated protective glasses, highlighting a gap in adequate eye safety practices.
Pickleball has become increasingly popular, and pickleball-related eye injuries have become more common. However, protective eyewear use reported by professional or amateur players is not well characterized.
A study was done to examine trends in protective eyewear use among professional and amateur players and identify attitudes toward protective eyewear, including the motivations behind and against eyewear use. This study was conducted among professional athletes from the Zimmer Biomet Masters tournament in Rancho Mirage, California (January 2025), and amateur players recruited from pickleball courts and facilities in Connecticut, with data collected between May and September 2025 through a survey instrument not previously validated for this purpose.
Survey items included reported eyewear use, attitudes toward eyewear, and demographic characteristics. as well as amateur players from a variety of pickleball courts and facilities in Connecticut. Footage was reviewed including 175 professional pickleball players (mean [range] age, 28 [14-55] years; 71 female and 104 male); 148 amateurs (mean [range] age, 36 [18-70]; 67 female, 80 male, and 1 other) participated in the survey portion.
The rate of eyewear use was 20% among professionals (95% CI, 14.07-25.93) and 45.27% among amateurs (95% CI, 37.25-53.29) (χ21, 23.69; P < .001). Of amateurs who reported using protective eyewear, 61.19% (95% CI 49.52-72.86) used their own regular glasses rather than dedicated protective eyewear. Among amateurs, more frequent eyewear use was seen in advanced players (53.97%; 95% CI, 41.66-66.28) compared to beginners (11.11%; 95% CI, 0-31.64).
Reasons for using eyewear included awareness of injury risk and knowing someone with an injury, while discomfort with eyewear and never having considered the risk of eye injury were reported reasons behind not using protective eyewear.
The rate of reported protective eyewear use was low among pickleball professionals and higher, but still less than half, among amateurs. Many players used personal prescription glasses, which may not meet the specifications for adequate protection. Given the rise in pickleball-related eye injuries, further efforts to improve the consistent use of high-quality protective eyewear seem warranted.
Reference:
Henick D, Debroff B, Tahvildari M. Pickleball Players’ Reported Use of Protective Eyewear. JAMA Ophthalmol. 2026;144(4):309–313. doi:10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2026.0027
