The Right Lens Replacement or Cataract Surgery for a Pickleball Player

Pickelball is one of the fastest growing sports in the US. I play quite a bit of pickleball and many of my patients play also. For some, it is just a fun thing to do with friends and family, and this post is probably not for you. However, for other players (you know who you are and I am in this group), you are constantly working on improving your game and getting your DUPR just a little higher. It makes sense that when you have cataract surgery or lens replacement surgery that you will want the lens implant that will help your game the most. I am going to present some of the issues in this post regarding how and why certain lenses are best for pickleball.

One of the problems that older players may find is that they do fine in spectacles at a distance, but they lose the ball when it gets up close. This is because the eye needs more focusing power the closer the ball gets and we all tend to lose this as we age. It may not be an issue for someone who is 50, but it is likely an issue for those that are in their 60s and 70s. Progressive lenses are not good for this player because you do not have the time to look through the right part of the lens, and you can often get tripped up if you accidentally do it. This can result in a little embarrassment or even in injury. Monovision is not a good solution because there is often a gap in the near vision and there is a problem with depth perception. Multifocal contacts are probably the best solution for this problem short of surgery, but glasses cannot really fix the problem.

One of the first things you will notice about the image, is that to perform well in pickleball you need to be able to see distance, and at least to the edge of your paddle in a continuous fashion as the ball approaches. This is really important to make sure you are making contact with the ball and to assess for any spin or late dropping or any motion of the pickleball. The range of vision that you really need is distance and then as close as your arms length. If the pickleball makes it closer to your eye than that, you might be experiencing a body bag and it is already too late.

The next factor you have to consider is glare. Indoor courts have bright lights and when you play outdoor (especially in Texas), you are often playing early in the morning when you might experience a sunrise, or at night when you may also be under bright lights. Cataracts themselves are going to reduce your ability to function in this situation significantly, but certain lens implants may have some tendency for starbursts or glare/halo. Although less of a factor, you may want to avoid the lenses that are more likely to have those issues.

Now pickleball is not the only factor in your life, and there are other considerations to make, but in my opinion, if pickleball is the main factor in your decision, you are going to want a lens that gives you clear distance, and intermediate vision with minimal risk of starburst, glare or halos. You are going to want the best contrast sensitivity you can get in order to make out the ball most clearly. Of the lenses on the market at the writing of this post, I think the PureSee lens (which is an extended depth of focus type) is the best option to meet these criteria. It typically has a lack of glare/halos/starbursts, and great intermediate and distance vision. It is the first lens of this class to be approved without a label for contrast sensitivity reduction. So hopefully with the above information you can pickle your opponent and not get pickled! Please call our office at 512-686-1224 to schedule a consultation.