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.”

Linda Corocan is shown receiving an eye exam from Dr. Matthew Cunningham from the Florida Retina Institute. (Florida Retina Institute)

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.”

“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,” advised Cunningham, pictured with Corcoran. (Florida Retina Institute)

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.”

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. (iStock)

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.”

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.

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. (Florida Retina Institute)

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.

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Ozempic, Wegovy and other GLP-1 medications have gained widespread popularity for weight loss and diabetes control in recent years — but the spike in demand has made it difficult for some people to get the drugs.

To help eliminate supply chain snafus, the first-ever generic GLP-1 — a duplicate of Victoza — launched on June 25.

Manufactured by Novo Nordisk and distributed and sold by Israel-based Teva Pharmaceuticals, Victoza is an injectable medication intended to treat type 2 diabetes. It has also been shown to promote weight loss in certain patients, according to Teva.

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While Ozempic and Wegovy contain semaglutide and Mounjaro has tirzepatide, Victoza has liraglutide as its active ingredient.

“By launching an authorized generic for Victoza (liraglutide injection 1.8mg), we are providing patients with type 2 diabetes another option for this important treatment,” said Ernie Richardsen, SVP, head of U.S. commercial generics at Teva, in a press release from the company.

The new authorized generic is the exact same medication as brand-name Victoza, but without the brand name on the label and sold at a lower price point, explained Alyssa Billingsley, PharmD, the senior director of Pharmacy Content at GoodRx in St. Louis, Missouri.

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Just as Wegovy is a higher-dose version of Ozempic to treat obesity, there is a higher-dose version of Victoza — sold under the brand name Saxenda — but a generic version is not yet available.

“This is a positive step forward to making GLP-1 agonist medications more accessible and affordable,” Billingsley told Fox News Digital via email. 

Victoza is manufactured by Novo Nordisk and distributed and sold by Israel-based Teva Pharmaceuticals. (Getty Images)

This class of drugs has a growing list of beneficial applications beyond just treating type 2 diabetes, Billingsley noted, but their cost can be a barrier for many people to access them.

“In general, authorized generics are usually priced at a discount, potentially making them a more affordable option for some people,” she said. 

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“However, some insurers may still prefer brand-name Victoza, even with a lower-cost authorized generic available.”

Patients should check with their insurance provider to confirm which options are covered and what they can expect to pay, Billingsley advised.

This class of drugs has a growing list of benefits, but cost can be a barrier for some patients. (iStock)

Dr. Brett Osborn, a Florida neurologist and longevity expert, agreed that the availability of the first generic GLP-1 is “great news.”

The generic’s lower price point is particularly beneficial for people who have chronic conditions like diabetes, Osborn noted — “where long-term medication use is necessary to prevent downrange effects like vascular disease, strokes and heart attacks, cancer, neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, and obesity, the latter of which is also a ‘gateway disease,’” he said. 

Differences between liraglutide and semaglutide

There are some differences between the generic version of Victoza and Ozempic and other GLP-1 agonists, doctors noted.

The new drug’s active ingredient is liraglutide instead of Ozempic’s semaglutide — and it is approved for use in both adults and children age 10 and older who have diabetes.

Semaglutides are not yet approved for children.

While semaglutides like Ozempic are given once each week, liraglutide medications require daily dosing because they have a shorter half-life. (iStock)

There are also dosing differences — while semaglutides like Ozempic are given once each week, liraglutide medications require daily dosing because they have a shorter half-life, the doctor said.

“Each medication has pros and cons,” Osborn said. “At base level, however, the molecules are similar and subserve identical bodily functions — appetite suppression and the promotion of insulin secretion from the pancreas.”

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The most common side effects of liraglutides include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, decreased appetite, indigestion and constipation, according to the company’s release. Other, more serious side effects are possible.

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Patients who experience adverse or lingering side effects should see a health care provider.

Fox News Digital reached out to Teva Pharmaceuticals and Novo Nordisk for comment.