Pickleball: An ophthalmic epidemic; the printing pill; surgery or a soda – Morning Medical Update

Pickleball: An ophthalmic epidemic

As pickleball participation has exploded nationwide, so have eye injuries linked to the sport. A JAMA Ophthalmology study analyzing two decades of emergency department data found an estimated 3,112 pickleball-related ocular injuries between 2005 and 2024 — including more than 1,200 in 2024 alone. The annual injury rate rose by over 400 cases per year from 2021 to 2024. Most affected patients were 50 or older, with severe cases involving retinal detachment, orbital fracture, globe trauma and hyphema. Direct hits from balls and paddles were leading causes. Currently, eye protection is optional in both recreational and professional play, but researchers call for standardized safety guidelines to prevent eye injuries.

The printing pill

Researchers at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) have developed a swallowable bioprinter that can deposit living bio-ink directly onto damaged gastrointestinal tissue. The device, called the Magnetic Endoluminal Deposition System (MEDS), is about the size of a pill and operates without onboard electronics. Activated by an external near-infrared laser and guided magnetically, it releases bio-gel to patch ulcers or seal hemorrhages inside the gut. In animal studies, MEDS successfully deposited bio-ink within the stomachs of rabbits. The team envisions future applications in blood vessels and the abdominal wall. The findings were published in Advanced Science.

Surgery or a soda

Doctors in Massachusetts treated a 63-year-old woman’s persistent nausea and vomiting by dissolving a large gastric bezoar — a compact mass of undigested food — with diet cola. The patient, who had lost 40 pounds while taking semaglutide for diabetes and weight loss, developed the mass due to delayed gastric emptying. Imaging and endoscopy revealed the bezoar, and after consuming 1.5 liters of diet soda over two days, her symptoms rapidly resolved. Endoscopic follow-up confirmed the mass had dissolved without surgery. Live Science has more.