Low Use of Protective Eyewear Reported Among Pickleball Players

TUESDAY, March 3, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- Use of protective eyewear among pickleball players is low, according to a study published online Feb. 26 in JAMA Ophthalmology.Daniel Henick, M.D., from the Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut, and colleagues examined trends in protective eyewear use among professional and amateur players, as well as attitudes toward protective eyewear. The analysis included survey responses from 175 professional pickleball players and 148 amateurs.The researchers found that the rate of eyewear use was 20 percent among professionals and 45.27 percent among amateurs (χ21, 23.69; P < 0.001). Among amateurs who reported using protective eyewear, six in 10 (61.19 percent) used their own regular glasses rather than dedicated protective eyewear. Compared with amateur beginners, more frequent eyewear use was seen in amateur advanced players (11.11 versus 53.97 percent). Reasons cited for using eyewear included awareness of injury risk and knowing someone with an injury. Discomfort with eyewear and never having considered the risk for eye injury were cited as reasons for not using protective eyewear."Given the rise in pickleball-related eye injuries, further efforts to improve the consistent use of high-quality protective eyewear seem warranted," the authors write.Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required).Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter