Epidemiology of United States tennis-related ocular injuries from 2000 to 2019

Purpose To characterize trends in ocular tennis injuries over the last 20 years. Methods The National Electronic Injury Surveillance System was utilized to characterize tennis-related eye injuries in a nationally representative sample of emergency department visits. Data were divided into 5 age groups, and various demographic information was obtained. Results Approximately 16,000 tennis-related ocular injuries were identified with males being affected nearly 2:1 compared to females. The youngest age group (0-20) had the greatest proportion of injuries, with most injuries in boys 11-15 years old. Injuries occurred most often during the spring season. Most patients were treated and released from the ED. Of those patients who were hospitalized, one-third had an open globe injury. Conclusions The overall number of injuries trended downward during the timespan of the study. Although most patients did not experience serious visual consequences, the greatest proportion of ocular tennis injuries occurred in the pediatric age group in whom the risk of amblyopia is high. Primary care providers and tennis regulatory bodies should consider recommending eye safety sports goggles in children to mitigate the potential for significant visual morbidity.