Back in early 2023, I faced a medical challenge that truly tested my limits as a doctor. I was introduced to a 56-year-old woman suffering from a severe case of scleromalacia perforan. I had to document this case, but I simply didn’t have the right tools for it.

Here is the image I captured before acquiring the OptiREC and MicroREC Connect Software.

In March of the same year, I performed deep lamellar transplant. One and a half months later, she contracted genital herpes, leading to a severe inflammation and corneal degradation. The transplant covered the areas of scleral thinning, but the cornea continued to degrade autonomously.

Since then, I have documented everything on MicroREC Connect, accessible by various dates and tags.

Her condition worsened; she underwent venous therapy as the cornea continued to degrade. Each appointment showed her cornea increasingly retracting, as if it were dissolving.

During a conversation with a rheumatologist colleague, I shared links to the images stored in the Connect Software. He recommended using cannabis drops, which he has successfully prescribed for psoriatic arthritis.

I was initially skeptical, as I prefer familiar treatments. Patients’ receptiveness to alternative therapies varies significantly.

However, since she began using the cannabis drops, her corneal tissue stopped degrading—a truly remarkable turnaround.

Despite skepticism regarding alternative treatments, I had exhausted all conventional options without success. She had previously tried intravenous and pulse therapies with oral corticosteroids, azathioprine, and methotrexate, all to no avail, until the cannabis drops made a definitive difference.

Now I can check the whole progress in one place, that I take with my phone and her data is directly sent to her file session in the Connect session.

Author: Dr. Patricia Serapicos

Graduated in Medicine from the Faculdade de Ciências Médicas da Santa Casa de São Paulo in 2006 and completed her specialized residency in Ophthalmology at UNIFESP in 2010, focusing on Corneal Diseases and Refractive Surgery. With an additional specialization at the Ophthalmological Hospital of Sorocaba, she has extensive surgical experience in Corneal Transplants. She practices at CCO Jardins in Itaim Bibi, alongside her father and brother, both experienced ophthalmologists. Committed to excellence, Patricia volunteers at UNIFESP, sharing her expertise with medical trainees.