Eye Protector For Racket Sports - Chapter Pickleball Glasses - ASTM F3164
Foreword
Hello everyone, I’m Antony, Deputy General Manager of BJ Eyewear. Seeing the surging popularity of pickleball worldwide, this sport that combines elements of tennis, badminton, and table tennis is full of fun, but also carries the potential risk of eye injury from being struck by the ball or the paddle. We firmly believe that the best sports experience comes from the most solid safety protection. Today, I will take you on a deep dive into the ASTM F3164 standard, specifically designed for racquet sports, and tell you how our pickleball eyewear series effectively protects your eyes!
I. Differentiation of F3164 and its Predecessor F803: The Professionalization Process of Pickleball Protection
The earliest version of the ASTM F3164 standard was introduced in 2019 by ASTM International (American Society for Testing and Materials), officially designated as ASTM F3164-19. Prior to this, eye protection specifications for racket sports (such as squash, badminton, and tennis) were included under the broader ASTM F803 standard, which covers eye protectors for various sports.
2019 (Initial Edition) | 2024 (Latest Edition) |
ASTM International separated the specifications for racket sport eye protectors from the F803 standard to establish the dedicated ASTM F3164-19. This was done to provide more precise testing requirements specifically tailored to high-speed ball impacts unique to these sports, such as the high-velocity flight of a squash ball.
|
In response to evolving sports trends, ASTM released the latest version, ASTM F3164-24. The most significant update in this version is the formal inclusion of Pickleball within the scope of the standard, along with more detailed descriptions of the associated testing methodologies.
|
1. Focus and Expansion of the Scope:
The old version F803 had a very wide range of applications, covering racquet sports, women's lacrosse, field hockey, basketball, baseball, and soccer, among other sports.
F3164 narrows the focus, specifically targeting Racquet Sports, and formally incorporates the emerging sport of pickleball.
2. The Birth of the Pickleball Test:
Although F803's test item list covered sports like racquetball and tennis, it did not have specific test projectiles and speed requirements for pickleball.
The release of F3164 was precisely to address the challenges posed by pickleball, providing the world's only dedicated standard: using a specific ball with a diameter of 74 mm, tested at a speed of 40 mph.
3. Continuity of the Standard Core:
Despite differences in mechanical testing, F3164 continues F803’s high requirements for optical performance and design specifications.
For example, both list ANSI Z87.1 (Occupational Safety and Face Protection Specification) and ANSI Z80.3 (Requirements for Non-Prescription Sunglasses) as important reference documents, ensuring that eyewear consistently maintains the industry's highest level in terms of optical clarity, refractive power, prismatic deviation, and UV resistance.
II. Understanding ASTM F3164: The Gold Standard for Racquet Sports Protective Eyewear
ASTM F3164 is a standard specification tailored specifically for Racquet Sports, covering Racquetball, Squash, Tennis, and our focus today—Pickleball. This set of specifications aims to minimize or significantly reduce the risk of injury to the eyes and surrounding areas caused by impact or penetration from the paddle or ball.
First, let's start with the basics. ASTM F3164 classifies protective eyewear into the following four key types based on product structural design:
Type I(One-Piece Design) | Type II(Separate Frame Design) |
| The protective eyewear is injection-molded as a single piece consisting of the lens(es) and frame. Temples (Arms) or other retention means (e.g., headbands) may be considered separate parts. | The protective eyewear has a single or multiple lenses (which can be plano or prescription lenses). These lenses are mounted in a separately manufactured frame. This is the most common goggles-style design. |
Type III(Lenses-Less Design) | Type IV(Full Face Shield Design) |
| This type contains no lenses. Such products rely primarily on the frame structure to provide protection and block objects from contacting the eyes. | This includes full or partial face shields, such as visors or protective helmets. |
I believe you must know the core requirements of the F3164 specification:
1. Reliable Optical Requirements:
- Luminous Transmittance: For clear (non-tinted) lenses, the transmittance shall not be less than 85%; for tinted lenses, it shall not be less than 8%.
- Haze (Clarity): The haze of the protective eyewear shall not exceed 3%.
- Optical Quality: Within the central viewing area (a circular region with a diameter of 40 mm), the product must be free of noticeable striae, waves, distortion, or other defects that would impair vision.
2. Ultimate Mechanical Requirements:
- Primary Principle: In high-velocity impact testing, the most critical acceptance criterion is that neither the impact object nor any component of the protective device shall contact the eye area of the test head form.
- Frame and Lens Integrity: Failure occurs if the frame or lens shatters or fragments, or if the lens is displaced from the frame to an extent that would allow contact with the eye.
The following mandatory tests are required for protective eyewear :
1. Optical Tests (Mandatory for Type I and Type II Protectors)
Optical testing is designed to ensure that the protective eyewear provides necessary protection without negatively impacting the wearer's vision. These requirements apply to both Type I and Type II products (those with lenses) and typically reference testing methodologies found in ANSI Z87.1 and ANSI Z80.3
Test Item | Requirement | Purpose |
| Optical Quality | Within the central viewing zone, there must be no abrupt changes, jumps, doubling (ghosting), or blurring. The variation shall not exceed 0.08 diopters. | To detect local refractive blurring in the visual field and ensure lens clarity. |
| Refractive Tolerances | The maximum refractive power in any meridian shall not exceed +0.12 or -0.2 diopters. Spherical power must be within the range of +0.06 to -0.18 diopters. | To measure the focusing power of the lens and prevent unnecessary changes in refractive power. |
| Astigmatism | Astigmatism shall not exceed 0.12 diopters. | To measure the maximum difference in refractive power between different meridians of the lens. |
| Power Imbalance | In the primary viewing field (straight ahead), the refractive power imbalance between the two eyes shall not exceed 0.18 diopters. | To ensure the difference in focusing power provided by the two lenses is within an acceptable range. |
| Prism | Prismatic deviation at the primary viewing position of either eye shall not exceed 0.5 prism diopters. | To measure the degree of light deviation (refraction) by the lens and prevent visual distortion. |
| Prism Imbalance |
Prismatic deviation at the primary viewing position of either eye shall not exceed 0.5 prism diopters.
| To ensure the difference in prismatic effect between the two eyes is within the tolerance range. |
| Luminous Transmittance | Luminous transmittance shall not be less than 85% for clear lenses, and not less than 8% for tinted lenses. The difference between the values viewed by both eyes shall not exceed 0.9 to 1.1 times that of each other. | To measure the lens's ability to transmit visible light, ensuring a bright field of view and consistent binocular vision. |
| Ultraviolet Transmittance | Must meet the requirements of ANSI Z80.3 for UVA and UVB. |
To ensure the lens effectively blocks solar ultraviolet radiation. |
| Haze | The haze of the protective eyewear shall not exceed 3%. | To measure scattered light and prevent reduction in visual field contrast. |
| Surface and Internal Defects | The lens shall be free of function-impairing defects visible to the naked eye, such as pits, scratches, bubbles, watermarks, and other imperfections. | To confirm the lens material and surface quality through visual inspection. |
2. Mechanical Tests
Mechanical tests ensure the protector can withstand high-velocity impact from the sport's specific projectile:
Test Item | Requirement | Purpose |
| High Velocity Impact Resistance | Protective eyewear must withstand impact from projectiles (racquetballs, squash balls, tennis balls, and/or pucks) launched at a specified velocity 40 mph or 90 mph. | To ensure that during use, the protective eyewear can resist the impact of the sports ball. |
| Failure Criteria | During testing, the projectile or any protective eyewear component must not touch the orbital area of the headform. Failure occurs if the frame or lens shatters, fragments, shifts, or if the lens moves from the frame sufficiently to allow contact with the eye. | This is a mandatory passing standard for all mechanical tests, ensuring eye safety. |
| Rx Frame Testing | For frames designed to accommodate prescription lenses, testing must be performed with flat plano lenses, and the most positive and most negative sphere diopter . This ensures the eyewear provides adequate impact protection. | To ensure that prescription-compatible eyewear provides sufficient impact protection. |
3. General Requirements
- Cleanability: Protective devices shall be capable of being cleaned (e.g., using mild soap and warm water maintained between and for 10 min) and must remain functional afterward.
- Material Safety: Materials coming into contact with the wearer’s skin shall not be of a type known to cause skin irritation and must not undergo significant loss of strength or flexibility due to perspiration or grease.
- Product Marking: The product must have permanent markings identifying the manufacturer's identity and model identification. Furthermore, the packaging or labeling must include information such as the month and year of manufacture, sizing guide, cleaning instructions, and warning statements (e.g., must be replaced after an impact).
III. Pickleball's Safety Challenge: The Unique Protection Philosophy of Low-Speed, Large-Ball
Pickleball's testing requirements reflect the unique hazardous characteristics of this sport. I believe our customers must understand the significant differences between pickleball testing and other sports testing to appreciate why protective eyewear specifically designed for pickleball is so important.
1. Pickleball Specifications:
- Dedicated Test Projectile: Must use an "Outdoor Ball" approved or compatible with USA Pickleball (USAP) and IFP.
- Ball Size (Diameter): The pickleball diameter requirement is 74.0± 1.0 mm.
- Ball Mass: Mass is between 22.1g and 26.5g.
- Impact Velocity: The test speed is relatively low, at 40 mph 18± 2 m/s.
2. Key Difference Analysis with Three Other Ball Types:
Test Ball Type | Impact Velocity | Diameter | Mass | Test Focus |
| Pickleball | 40 mph(18±2 m/s) | 74.0±1.0 mm | 22.1 g−26.5 g | Maximum Coverage and blocking intrusion of the large ball |
| Tennis | 90 mph(40±2 m/s) | 67.0±1.6 mm | 22.1 g−26.5 g | Resistance to maximum Impact Energy (Kinetic Energy) |
| Racquetball | 90 mph(40±2 m/s) | 57±0.5 mm | 40± 1.0 g | High-speed impact resistance |
| Squashball | 90 mph(40±2 m/s) | 40.0±0.5 mm | 24.0± 1.0 g | High-speed impact resistance |
Conclusion on Differences:
Speed and Kinetic Energy :
Pickleball’s speed requirement (40 mph) is significantly lower than the other three sports (90 mph).Size and Coverage :
Pickleball’s diameter of 74 mm is the largest of all tested balls. Standard tennis ball size is 64.5 mm to 68.6 mm . This establishes the unique challenge for pickleball protective eyewear: it must have excellent coverage to ensure that even such a large ball cannot enter the eye socket through any open space in the frame upon impact.Test Points and Quantity :
For each specified size of protective eyewear, 7 samples must be tested for each approved game ball. Each sample is subjected to only one impact. A total of 7 impact points must be performed, covering multi-angle impacts from the center of the lens to the frame hinge, and even including impacts 16 ± 2 mm above and below the pupil.
Conclusion: BJ Eyewear Secures Your Pickleball Vision
I believe that the release of F3164 marks the beginning of "customized" protection assessment in the sports eye safety field, targeting the unique hazards of each individual sport. This greatly assists us in the precision of our product research and development. As a professional manufacturer of sports safety eyewear, we fully recognize the importance of the ASTM F3164 standard. It is not just a certificate of conformity, but the cornerstone of our commitment to customer safety. By deeply understanding the special challenge of pickleball's "low-speed, large-ball" and the strict F3164 testing procedure, we are able to precisely design and manufacture protective eyewear products with superior optical performance and the highest level of protection, keeping your eyes safe from injury. When you step onto the pickleball court, be sure to choose professional pickleball protective eyewear that complies with the ASTM F3164 standard. Let the products of BJ Eyewear be your solid backing for worry-free swinging and focused winning on the court!
Our Recommendations :
FAQ
Q1. Why does pickleball eyewear require a separate ASTM F3164 standard instead of continuing to use the old F803 regulation?
A: ASTM F3164 is a standard that was separated and released independently in 2019, specifically focusing on Racquet Sports to make the protection standard more specialized. The old version F803 did not have specific test items for pickleball. F3164 tailored the world's only dedicated test specification for pickleball: using a specific ball with a diameter of 74 mm, tested at a speed of 40 mph. The pickleball has the largest ball size (74 mm). This requires the protective eyewear to have excellent coverage to ensure the ball does not penetrate the open space between the frame and the eye socket.
Q2. The impact test speed for pickleball eyewear (40 mph) is much lower than for tennis or racquetball (90 mph). Does this mean its protection requirements are lower?
A: Although the impact speed and kinetic energy of pickleball are lower, its test ball (74 mm diameter) is the largest of all ball types. The testing focus for tennis and racquetball is resistance to high-speed impact energy. The testing focus for pickleball shifts to maximum coverage and structural integrity. Regardless of speed, the core requirement of F3164 is that during high-speed impact testing, neither the impact object nor any component of the protective device shall contact the eye area of the test head form, ensuring the large ball cannot enter the eye socket through any gap.
Q3: If my lens pops out after a strong impact during play, what should I do?
A: According to the ASTM F3164 standard, if the lens of the eyewear pops out to an extent that would allow contact with the eye due to impact, it is considered a failure. You should immediately stop playing and replace the protective eyewear. Remember that any protective eyewear that has suffered a severe impact, even if the surface looks intact, may have reduced protection and must be replaced immediately, as continued use could lead to permanent injury.
Q4: Can ANSI Z87.1 safety glasses be used for playing pickleball?
A: ANSI Z87.1 is primarily an eye protection standard for occupational and educational environments, and it is referenced by ASTM F3164 to meet optical requirements. ANSI Z87.1 glasses demonstrate their material strength is sufficient to withstand powerful impacts, especially having passed High-mass Impact and High-Velocity Impact tests, where the impact energy is significantly greater than ASTM F3164 requirements, these glasses are fully capable of resisting pickleball impacts.