Playing pickleball. Credit: Ron B

The rising popularity of racquet sport pickleball, particularly among seniors, will result in US$250m-500m of injury-related expenses in the US in 2023, reported UBS Global.

Since it’s often played as a doubles game in an area smaller than a tennis court, players’ proximity means eye injuries caused by paddles or the ball are more likely, said Dr Annette Hoskin, a research fellow at the Save Sight Institute, University of Sydney, and co-developer of the International Globe and Adnexal Trauma Epidemiology Study (IGATES) eye injury registry. “The most likely injury is associated with blunt trauma, with possible orbital fractures or hyphaemia as result,” she told Ophthalmology Times. Those risks are compounded by the fact that an estimated 17% of US players are over 65 years old and might have visual impairments and slower reaction times, hindering their ability to dodge collisions, reported Atkinson et al in 2020.

Originating in the US and including elements of badminton, tennis, squash and table tennis, pickleball’s popularity has been increasing by around 20% a year in Australia, while New Zealand now has more than 30 pickleball clubs, said Auckland pickleball coach Matt Carter in an interview with Stuff.

For more, see https://www.modernretina.com/view/prevent-blindness-more-than-32-000-sports-related-eye-injuries-treated-in-2022-up-almost-20-percent-from-previous-year