‘Pickleball saved my sight,’ says Florida woman, 79: ‘I was really worried’

Those who play pickleball are known to gain physical and cognitive benefits from the activity — but for one Florida woman, the fast-growing game also helped to save her sight.

Linda Corcoran, 79, an avid pickleball player and great-grandmother, has been playing the paddle sport three times a week for the past four or five years. 

She knew something was amiss in 2021, when the lines on the court suddenly began appearing wavy and distorted to her.

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"Beyond this affecting my ability to play, I was really worried about what these symptoms meant for my vision and overall eye health," Corcoran told Fox News Digital via email. 

Corcoran also began seeing floaters and wavy lines in both of her eyes – on and off the pickleball court. 

"When I texted, the letters on the screen looked tilted," she said — which she later found out was due to fluid in her retina.

Corcoran made an appointment with her eye specialist — who diagnosed her with wet age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD).

What is AMD?

The leading cause of vision loss for people age 65 and over, AMD affects 1.5 million people in the U.S., experts say.

Symptoms of wet AMD include blurred vision, blind spots in the middle of the field of vision, difficulty distinguishing colors, and edges or lines appearing wavy, according to Corcoran’s ophthalmologist, Dr. Matthew Cunningham of the Florida Retina Institute.

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"In Linda’s case, lines on the pickleball court were an effective indicator of her vision, as she saw something that was supposed to be straight appearing wavy," he told Fox News Digital. 

"For many who play pickleball or other sports, noticing the court looking wavy is an important sign to come in right away and get your eyes checked."

Other warning signs can include noticing that window blinds appear crooked when they're not, or that something that’s supposed to be straight, like a flagpole, appears wavy, Cunningham said.

Having trouble reading in low light can also be a symptom of wet AMD.

The condition may also affect the ability to see or recognize faces or objects, read and write, or drive, the doctor added.

"For many who play pickleball or other sports, noticing the court looking wavy is an important sign to get your eyes checked."

Early detection is key to preventing vision loss due to wet AMD, according to Cunningham. 

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"In the early stages, there may be no symptoms, which is why it’s important for everyone to visit their eye doctor at least once a year for an eye exam, even if they don’t notice anything wrong," he advised.

If left untreated, wet AMD can cause rapid and severe vision loss, Cunningham warned.

Treatments for AMD

There are treatments available to help improve and maintain vision for people with wet AMD. 

"Wet AMD is most often treated with medicine injected into the eye, which can help improve and maintain your vision," said Cunningham.

"While treatment has traditionally required intravitreal injections as often as every month, newer treatments have been found to be effective for up to 12 to 16 weeks between injections."

After a different medication was ineffective, Cunningham suggested that Corcoran try a treatment called Vabysmo.

The prescription medication — made by Genentech, a member of the Roche Group in Switzerland — is administered in both eyes every 10 weeks, designed to dry up damaging fluid in the back of the eye to help preserve vision.

Vabysmo is the first and only FDA-approved treatment designed to block two causes of wet AMD, the company told Fox News Digital via email.

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"When the doctor first told me I needed to receive injections, I was overwhelmed and nervous," Corcoran said. 

"I dreaded the shots, but now I know that my consistency with the treatment allows me to preserve my vision to help me continue doing the things that I love, like pickleball."

Today, a year after starting Vabysmo, Corcoran’s vision has significantly improved.

"It has successfully kept the fluid out of her retina and has had a positive effect on her vision," said Cunningham.

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Corcoran added, "It’s overwhelming to feel like your favorite hobbies and ability to socialize could be in jeopardy when you start to see changes in your vision, so I feel really lucky to have found a treatment that has worked so well for me."

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Some of the common side effects of Vabysmo include cataract and blood on the white of the eye (conjunctival hemorrhage), according to a statement from the company provided to Fox News Digital.

For all adults, Cunningham recommends getting annual, comprehensive eye exams to detect potential disease early — particularly for older adults or those who have been diagnosed with conditions like diabetes or hypertension, which can impact eye health and cause vision loss. 

"You don’t need to wait to see an eye doctor, as we have a number of tests that can identify early signs of diseases before symptoms appear," he added.

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More than half of pickleball players in the U.S. are age 55 or older, with almost a third (32%) of them over the age of 65.

Fox News Digital reached out to Genentech, maker of Vabysmo, for comment.