Is deep learning the future of diabetic retinopathy screening?

Deep learning, a type of artificial intelligence, uses algorithms to recognize patterns. Deep learning holds considerable promise in medicine and may assist physicians in evaluating medical imaging for faster, more accurate diagnoses. Although the hope is that deep learning can transform and disrupt healthcare, how exactly to harness the technology is still being studied. It does, however, appear that deep learning could have an application in the diagnosis and management of retinal diseases. A number of studies have demonstrated the accuracy of deep-learning algorithms in diagnosing diabetic retinopathy and diabetic macular edema from fundus photographs.1, 2 Most recently, a study from Gulshan et al published in JAMA Ophthalmology assessed the performance of a deep-learning algorithm versus manual grading for diabetic retinopathy in India.3