ArticleEye (London, England)2026
Pickleball and Ball Sports-Related Ocular Trauma in the United States.
Article in Eye (London, England), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Ocular injuries in padel: findings from a survey on frequency, risk factors, and perceptions toward protective eyewear.Eye (London, England) · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
11 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveTo characterize national patterns of ocular trauma related to pickleball, dodgeball, and kickball in the United States, with emphasis on incidence, demographics, injury mechanisms, and diagnoses.
methodsData from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission's National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (2014-2023) were reviewed. Injury cases were identified using body part codes for the eye, face, and head combined with product code 3235 ("Other Ball Sports"). Trauma narratives were subsequently manually reviewed to confirm sport involvement alongside ocular and/or orbital injury. National injury estimates were calculated using the NEISS-provided sample weights. Annual incidence per million people was calculated using data from the U.S. Census Bureau and American Community Survey. Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics and inferential testing using chi-square tests, ANOVA, and linear regression.
resultsA total of 120 confirmed cases were identified, corresponding to an estimated 7974 ocular injuries (95% CI: 7184-8764). Weighted estimates attributed 3874 cases (95% CI: 3429-4319) to dodgeball, 2573 (95% CI: 2218-2928) to pickleball, and 1527 (95% CI: 1255-1799) to kickball. Pickleball injuries primarily affected older adults (mean age 58.27 years), whereas dodgeball and kickball injuries occurred mostly in youth (mean ages 13.32 and 14.88 years). Direct ball impact was the leading mechanism, with corneal abrasion as the most frequent diagnosis. Falls (15.38%) and orbital fractures (11.54%) were more common with pickleball. Linear regression demonstrated a significant increase in pickleball-related ocular trauma from 2014 to 2023 (P = 0.04).
conclusionsPickleball-related ocular trauma is increasing nationally, particularly among older adults. These largely preventable injuries highlight the need for sport-specific preventive strategies and increased access to protective eyewear.
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