Vietnam pickleball injury sparks eye-safety warning as sport grows

The pickleball that hit Nguyn Văn Hin in the left eye did more than end a rally. It sent the 39-year-old from Bac Ninh to Central Eye Hospital with injuries doctors said could leave him with permanent vision loss, a sharp reminder that the sport’s fastest growth gap may be safety.

Doctors recorded eyeball contusion, bleeding in the anterior chamber, vitreous problems and mild corneal edema. His vision was reported to have dropped to little more than palm-shadows from very close range, a brutal outcome for a recreational sport that many players still treat as low-risk.

That is exactly why this case matters beyond one patient. Central Eye Hospital has already seen serious pickleball-related eye injuries, including at least one case that ended with the eyeball being removed. The warning from doctors is straightforward: wear protective glasses and get immediate treatment after any eye trauma. In a sport where the ball can fly hard off a paddle from close range, waiting to see if the blur clears is a gamble players cannot afford.

Vietnam’s pickleball boom is making that message more urgent. Tuoi Tre reported that the country’s player base had nearly doubled since 2024 to an estimated 30,000, with courts and tournaments spreading quickly. Bac Ninh has become one of the places most closely tied to that rise, which gives this injury broader weight than a one-off collision. When participation rises that fast, the list of preventable injuries usually rises with it.

The American Academy of Ophthalmology has said pickleball eye injuries are still a small share of total injuries in the sport, but they can include corneal abrasions, retinal detachment and vitreous hemorrhage. The risk is amplified by two simple facts: the ball moves fast, and the court is small. That combination leaves very little time for a blink, much less a reaction.

The lesson from Bac Ninh is not that pickleball is unsafe by nature. It is that the sport’s expansion across Vietnam is outrunning habits that would prevent the worst damage. Eye protection, beginner instruction and stricter club rules on safe play are no longer optional extras. They are the difference between a bruise and a life-changing injury.