Impact of table tennis participation on visual acuity and eye health in adolescents

This retrospective cohort study evaluated whether regular table tennis participation was associated with visual acuity, refractive status, ocular biometry, and eye-health symptoms in adolescents undergoing routine ophthalmic assessment between January 2023 and December 2024. A total of 239 participants were included (control group, n = 121; table tennis group, n = 118). Baseline demographics, ocular parameters, and behavioral exposures were comparable between groups. Visual acuity was recorded in logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution units, and spherical equivalent (SE) was calculated as sphere + 0.5 × cylinder (diopters). Longitudinal changes were defined as follow-up minus baseline (Δ). Follow-up uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA) did not differ significantly between groups; however, UCVA deterioration over time was smaller in the table tennis group (ΔUCVA 0.02 ± 0.12 vs 0.07 ± 0.11; P < .001). Follow-up best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and ΔBCVA were comparable. Follow-up SE was similar, but the myopic shift was smaller with table tennis participation (ΔSE -0.19 [-0.51, 0.10] vs -0.42 [-0.64, -0.12]; P = .002). Axial length (AL) and ΔAL did not differ between groups. Secondary outcomes showed lower Ocular Surface Disease Index scores and lower visual fatigue scores in the table tennis group. Within the table tennis group, exploratory analyses suggested a dose-response pattern, with higher participation intensity associated with smaller ΔSE and ΔAL.