How we recommend
We recommend gear by category and use, not by brand, and do not quote prices. We may earn a commission on purchases at no cost to you.
Get coaching
This page explains what governing bodies, standards bodies and researchers publish. It is not a substitute for lessons from a qualified coach or for medical advice.
What eye protection can and cannot be said to do
Nothing on this page says any eyewear is certified, safe or legal, and no eyewear is presented as preventing injury. The standard, the product's own documented compliance and the body's rule decide. ASTM's description of F3164-24 says it addresses impact and penetration by rackets, paddles and balls to the eyes and adnexa only, not the rest of the head. World Squash's 2025 rules say the player is responsible for the quality of the eyewear worn. Any blow to the eye needs medical care.
Do you have to wear it? The rule by sport
| Sport and body | Document and date | Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Squash: World Squash | Singles Rules 2025, Appendix 4 (from 1 September 2025) | Mandatory in all doubles and junior events it sanctions; recommended for all players at all times in play |
| Squash: England Squash | Support article, 14 July 2025 | Under-19s in any competition; all ages in doubles competition; strongly recommended otherwise |
| Squash: Scottish Squash | HS03-P01 v5.0, 16 January 2023 | Under-19s at sanctioned events, coaching courses and endorsed activities on court |
| Squash: Squash Canada | Eye Guard Policy, 13 November 2018 | Junior members in sanctioned events and funded activities; all sanctioned doubles |
| Squash: Squash Ontario | Eyeguard Policy, March 2017 | Provincial championships, junior members at sanctioned events, all doubles players, among others |
| Pickleball: USA Pickleball | 2026 Official Rulebook | No requirement |
| Tennis: ITF (World Tennis) | Rules of Tennis 2026 | No requirement |
| Padel: FIP | Rules of Padel, from 1 January 2026 | No requirement; the compulsory safety item is the wrist cord |
| Badminton: BWF | Laws of Badminton, version 2.1 as read | No requirement |
Three points are disputed or unconfirmed. For squash juniors, World Squash's April 2014 guidance tied the rule to its own championships, while a Khel Now report of 29 September 2026, citing World Squash rules, describes it as applying to juniors at all times in play; the report is not the rule text, so it is unconfirmed. For pickleball, The Ophthalmologist and the Boston Globe reported that USA Pickleball declined a 2024 proposal to require eyewear in sanctioned tournaments; no USA Pickleball document was found. For badminton, a 2022 case report says Ontario and British Columbia once had junior eyewear rules; no current policy was found, so that is unconfirmed too.
The standards on the label
| Standard | Edition and date | What the source says it covers |
|---|---|---|
| ASTM F3164 | F3164-19; F3164-24 (ASTM page updated 27 November 2024) | Eye protectors for racquetball, squash, tennis and pickleball; three types; wearers with and without corrective lenses; polycarbonate named as the most impact-resistant spectacle lens material |
| ASTM F803 | F803-19 (1 October 2019, listed as superseded); F803-25 (published 1 September 2025) | F803-19's scope names basketball, baseball and soccer; the F803-25 abstract names racket sports again (text not read) |
| ISO 18527-2 | ISO 18527-2:2021 (2 March 2021, per a standards retailer) | Eye protectors for squash, racquetball and squash 57, including prescription-lens models; not protectors worn over spectacles, lensless protectors or gradient-tinted lenses |
| British Standard | Written by England Squash as "BS EN 18527-2:2021" | The standard England Squash tells buyers to look for |
| National squash standards | CSA P400 (Canada); BS 7930-1 (Britain); AS/NZS 4066 (Australia and New Zealand) | Named in squash bodies' policies; editions and status not confirmed from the standards bodies |
A search extract of an ASTM announcement (December 2024) says the F3164 revision added tests for pickleball protectors, and a standards catalogue extract lists a European adoption, EN ISO 18527-2:2021; neither page could be opened.
F3164 or F803: both sides, with dates
One side. In 2019 racket-sport eye protectors moved out of ASTM F803 ("Eye Protectors for Selected Sports") into F3164. The Vision Council announced around August 2019 that F3164-19 replaced F803's racket-sport requirements, said the F803 name had been used for misleading and overbroad compliance claims, and told eyecare professionals that F803 protectors were no longer appropriate for racket sports.
The other side. Several squash policies still name F803: World Squash's certified list (April 2014), Squash Ontario (March 2017), Squash Canada (November 2018) and Scottish Squash (January 2023). The Finnish Standards Association's listing of F803-25, published 1 September 2025, gives an abstract that names racket sports again. This site cannot say whether F803-25 reverses the 2019 change, because its text was not read.
For pickleball, press accounts of the American Academy of Ophthalmology's position differ: Review of Optometry reported ASTM F3134, The Ophthalmologist F3164. The Academy's EyeNet update of March 2024 quotes an ophthalmologist recommending F3164 eyewear for pickleball.
What to look for in the documentation
- The standard and its revision date. The Vision Council's 2019 advice to eyecare professionals was to ask for documented compliance with the sport-specific standard and its revision date. Squash Ontario warns that many protectors on sale do not meet the standards and are in effect clear sunglasses.
- The standard your body names. England Squash names "BS EN 18527-2:2021"; the Khel Now report says World Squash names ISO 18527-2:2021 and recognises F3164-19 in the US (unconfirmed); several squash bodies still list F803.
- If you wear glasses. England Squash says spectacle wearers need squash eye protection over their glasses or prescription squash eye protection. ISO 18527-2:2021, as listed, does not apply to protectors worn over spectacles, while F3164-24 covers wearers with and without corrective lenses. The AAO EyeNet update quotes an ophthalmologist noting that F3164 lenses are inserted from the front so they do not dislodge on impact.
- Fit. Not described here; it is checked in person, by an eyecare professional where prescription lenses are involved.
What the research records
Each study stands alone. Barrell and colleagues (BMJ, 1981) concluded that an eye injury is very unlikely for a squash player but can have serious consequences. Yu and colleagues (British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2020) described 85 badminton eye-injury cases, 73 in doubles. Lacher, Koc and Tsui (JAMA Ophthalmology, October 2025), as reported by Review of Optometry, gave a weighted national estimate of 1,262 pickleball eye injuries treated in US emergency departments in 2024, from 33 sampled cases; those NEISS figures show a trend, not risk per player. More is on eye injuries and eyewear rules.
Our picks by category
Squash eye protection
Protective eyewear for squash. Match the standard on its documentation to what your body requires: World Squash Appendix 4 asks for an appropriate national standard, England Squash names "BS EN 18527-2:2021", and the F3164 and F803 positions differ as set out above. Fit is checked in person. No eyewear is presented as preventing injury.
Best for: Squash players, and anyone whose squash event or body requires it
Sports eye protection
Protective eyewear for racquet sports. No rule requires it in those four sports' rule books as read. Check the standard printed on it: ASTM F3164-24 names racquetball, squash, tennis and pickleball, but not padel or badminton. No eyewear is presented as preventing injury.
Best for: Pickleball, tennis, padel and badminton players who choose to wear it
Sources
- ASTM, F3164-24 Standard Specification for Eye Protectors for Racket Sports (store page, updated 27 November 2024)
- ASTM news, racket sport eye protectors (2019, search-result extract)
- ASTM press release on the F3164 revision for pickleball (December 2024, search-result extract)
- invisionmag, The Vision Council announces publication of ASTM F3164-19 (2019)
- Standards catalogue listing, ASTM F803-19
- Finnish Standards Association (SFS) store, ASTM F803-25 listing
- Standards catalogue listing, ISO 18527-2:2021
- Standards catalogue listing, EN ISO 18527-2:2021 (search-result extract)
- BSI Knowledge, eye protectors for racket sports: squash (search-result extract)
- Wales Squash and Racketball, eye protection information (search-result extract)
- World Squash Federation, World Squash Singles Rules 2025, Appendix 4 (copy hosted by Squash Nederland)
- World Squash Federation, Protective Eyewear Guidance and certified list (updated 25 April 2014; copy hosted by Scottish Squash)
- England Squash, Is eye protection compulsory for all junior squash? (updated 14 July 2025)
- Scottish Squash, Eye Protection Policy HS03-P01, version 5.0 (16 January 2023)
- Squash Canada, Approved Amendments to the Eye Guard Policy (13 November 2018)
- Squash Ontario, Eyeguard Policy (approved March 2017)
- Khel Now, report on World Squash eyewear rules (29 September 2026)
- USA Pickleball, 2026 Official Rulebook (copy hosted by Pickleball Canada)
- The Ophthalmologist, Pickleball panic over eye injuries (November 2025)
- Boston Globe, Eye injuries are rising among pickleball players (16 October 2025)
- American Academy of Ophthalmology, EyeNet clinical update on trauma (March 2024)
- Review of Optometry, Surge in pickleball correlated with increased rate of eye injury (on Lacher, Koc and Tsui, JAMA Ophthalmology, October 2025)
- ITF, Rules of Tennis 2026
- FIP, Rules of Padel (review of application 1 January 2026)
- BWF, Statutes Section 4.1, Laws of Badminton, in force 29 May 2023, version 2.1 (hosted copy)
- Kawamata and colleagues, badminton eye-injury case report, American Journal of Ophthalmology Case Reports (2022)
- Barrell and colleagues, Squash ball to eye ball: the likelihood of squash players incurring an eye injury, BMJ 1981
- Yu, Chen, Miao, Zhao, Keng, Wang, Guo and Liu, Doubles trouble: 85 cases of ocular trauma in badminton, British Journal of Sports Medicine 2020 (abstract record)