Artificial intelligence and deep learning in ophthalmology: Current status and future perspectives

Adv Ophthalmol Pract Res. 2022 Aug 24;2(3):100078. doi: 10.1016/j.aopr.2022.100078. eCollection 2022 Nov-Dec.

Abstract

Background: The ophthalmology field was among the first to adopt artificial intelligence (AI) in medicine. The availability of digitized ocular images and substantial data have made deep learning (DL) a popular topic.

Main text: At the moment, AI in ophthalmology is mostly used to improve disease diagnosis and assist decision-making aiming at ophthalmic diseases like diabetic retinopathy (DR), glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration (AMD), cataract and other anterior segment diseases. However, most of the AI systems developed to date are still in the experimental stages, with only a few having achieved clinical applications. There are a number of reasons for this phenomenon, including security, privacy, poor pervasiveness, trust and explainability concerns.

Conclusions: This review summarizes AI applications in ophthalmology, highlighting significant clinical considerations for adopting AI techniques and discussing the potential challenges and future directions.

Keywords: Age-related macular degeneration; Artificial intelligence; Deep learning; Diabetic retinopathy; Glaucoma; Ophthalmology.

Publication types

  • Review