Technical and imaging factors influencing performance of deep learning systems for diabetic retinopathy.

Deep learning (DL) has been shown to be effective in developing diabetic retinopathy (DR) algorithms, possibly tackling financial and manpower challenges hindering implementation of DR screening. However, our systematic review of the literature reveals few studies studied the impact of different factors on these DL algorithms, that are important for clinical deployment in real-world settings. Using 455,491 retinal images, we evaluated two technical and three image-related factors in detection of referable DR.

Deep learning in estimating prevalence and systemic risk factors for diabetic retinopathy: a multi-ethnic study.

In any community, the key to understanding the burden of a specific condition is to conduct an epidemiological study. The deep learning system (DLS) recently showed promising diagnostic performance for diabetic retinopathy (DR). This study aims to use DLS as the grading tool, instead of human assessors, to determine the prevalence and the systemic cardiovascular risk factors for DR on fundus photographs, in patients with diabetes.