With the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) technology, the application of AI technology based on deep learning (DL) and machine learning (ML) in the medical field has received widespread attention. The application of AI in ophthalmology is gradually being shifted to a more comprehensive and in-depth level. Trained on corneal tomography, optical coherence tomography (OCT), slit-lamp images, and other techniques. AI can achieve robust performance in the diagnosis and treatment of corneal lesions, conjunctival lesions, cataract, glaucoma and other ophthalmic diseases. However, there are also some challenges in the application of AI in ophthalmology, including the lack of interpretability of results, lack of standardization of data sets, uneven quality of data sets, insufficient applicability of models and ethical issues. In the era of 5G and telemedicine, there are also many new opportunities for ophthalmic AI. In this review, we provided a summary of the state-of-the-art AI application in anterior segment ophthalmic diseases, potential challenges in clinical implementation and its development prospects, and provides reference information for the further development of artificial intelligence in the field of ophthalmology.
Artificial intelligence (AI) has been widely used in cataract surgery. The combination of the two can play a great role in improving preoperative diagnosis, grading management of cataract surgery, intraoperative intraocular lens selection and location prediction, postoperative management (vision prediction, complication prediction and follow-up), surgical training and teaching. It is true that AI still faces many problems in the management, analysis and research related to cataract surgery, but its broad application prospects cannot be ignored. This review summarizes the application of AI in cataract surgery and teaching, and the future prospects of AI.
In recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) in ophthalmology has developed rapidly. Fundus image has become a research hotspot due to its easy access and rich biological information. The application of AI analysis in fundus image is under continuous development and exploration. At present, there have been many AI studies on clinical screening, diagnosis and prediction of common fundus diseases such as diabetic retinopathy (DR), age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and glaucoma, and related achievements have been gradually applied in clinical practice. In addition to ophthalmic diseases, exploring the relationship between fundus features and various diseases and developing AI diagnostic systems based on this has become another popular research field. The application of AI in fundus image analysis will improve the shortage of medical resources and low diagnostic efficiency, and open up a “new track” for screening and diagnosis of various diseases. In the future, research on AI analysis of fundus image should focus on the intelligent and comprehensive diagnosis of multiple fundus diseases, and comprehensive auxiliary diagnosis of complex diseases, and lays emphasis on the integration of standardized and high-quality data resources, improve algorithm performance, and design clinically appropriate research program.
Clinical drug trials are confronted with two major issues: first, data authenticity, for instance, if any data falsification is conducted during the whole trial; second, whether the standard of procedure is accordingly conducted throughout the whole trial or not. Currently, both domestic and overseas clinical drug trials are not supervised without delay (ex-post inspection). Blockchain technology can improve the efficiency of Food and Drug Administration and the transparency of trials while the rights and safety of human research subjects are guaranteed by the integrated technology such as chained structure, asymmetry key algorithm, hash algorithm, and smart contract. Furthermore, with the assistance of internet of things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI), the actual supervision over the whole trial and automatic recruitment of human research subjects are expected to achieve.
Traditional fundus surgery requires ophthalmologists to be equipped with sophisticated operating techniques, but even with the most sophisticated operating techniques, fundus surgery still has great risks. Therefore, in order to reduce the risk of surgery and improve the quality of surgery, it is very necessary to improve the traditional fundus surgery. In recent years, with China’s strong support for the artificial intelligence industry, robots used in various industries have been born. Robot auxiliary system (RAS) is widely used in the medical field, especially in ophthalmology. By summarizing the cases of fundus surgery with RAS in recent years and comparing the fundus surgery involving RAS with traditional fundus surgery, it can be found that the application of RAS in fundus surgery can significantly improve the efficiency of surgery and reduce the risk of surgery. The future development trend of RAS may focus on the close integration with deep learning algorithms, which can predict and optimize the field of view images during surgery so that high-precision fundus surgery can be more efficient and safer.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is about simulating and expanding human intelligence. AI based on deep learning (DL) can analyze images well by using their inherent features, such as outlines, frames and so on. As researchers generally diagnoses ocular fundus diseases by images, it makes sense to apply AI to fundus examination. In ophthalmology, AI has achieved doctor-like performance in detecting multiple ocular fundus diseases through optical coherence tomography (OCT) images, fundus photographs, and ultra-wide-field (UWF) images. It has also been widely used in disease progression prediction. Nonetheless, there are also some potential challenges with AI application in ophthalmology, one of which is the black-box problem. Researchers are devoted to developing more interpretable deep learning systems (DLS) and confirming their clinical feasibility. This review describes a summary of the state-of-the-art AI application in the most popular ocular fundus diseases, potential challenges and the path forward.
The development of population aging and changes in the way people use their eyes over the recent years have increasingly challenged the existing ophthalmic medical resources to meet the growing medical needs, thus urgently calling for a novel diagnostic and treatment mode. Despite its status as an emerging sector in ophthalmology, ophthalmic artificial intelligence has developed rapidly in the screening and diagnosis of eye diseases, as can be seen in practices adopting the “eye imaging data + AI” mode. In recent years, with the intensified research on this mode with respect to common diseases such as cataract, glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy, relevant technologies have grown increasingly mature, presenting undeniable application superiority and prospects. Some of the relevant technical achievements have also been successfully transformed for practical usage, and are gradually being applied to clinical practices. Ophthalmic diagnosis and treatment are transitioning toward the era of intelligent medical services, which are expected to reduce the contradictions between the growing medical needs and the shortage of medical resources, as well as ultimately improve the overall experience of medical services.
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a degenerative disease of the central nervous system that occurs in old age or early old age. It is characterized by progressive cognitive dysfunction. With the world population aging, AD has become a global public health problem. The development of a more sensitive, convenient, and economic screening technology for AD is urgently needed. The eye movement function is closely related to cognitive function. Moreover, eye movement examination has advantages including non-invasiveness, low cost, and short examination time. Researches on the correlation between abnormal eye movement and cognitive dysfunction can help to develop a simple and easy-to-use screening tool for cognitive dysfunction. With the development of artificial intelligence technology, the dominant feature extraction and computing capabilities of machine learning algorithms have a significant advantage in processing eye movement inspection results. This article reviews the correlation between AD and eye movement abnormalities aiming to provide the research prospects of early screening technology development for cognitive dysfunction based on abnormal eye movement with the application of machine learning models.
In recent years, with the acceleration of digitalization and informatization in medical field, artificial intelligence (AI) is more and more widely applied, especially in ophthalmology. Infants are in the critical period of visual development, during which eye diseases can lead to irreversible visual impairment and bring heavy burden to family and society. Due to the particularity of infants and the shortage of pediatric ophthalmologists, it is challenging to carry out large-scale screening for eye diseases of infants. According to the latest studies, AI has been studied and applied in the fields of congenital cataract, congenital glaucoma, strabismus, amblyopia, retinopathy of prematurity, and evaluation of visual function, and it has achieved remarkable performance in the early screening, diagnosis stage and treatment suggestions, solving many clinical difficulties and pain points effectively. However, AI for infantile ophthalmology is not as developed as for adult ophthalmology, so it needs further exploration and development.
Blindness prevention has been an important national policy in China. Previous strategies, such as deploying experienced cataract surgeons to rural areas and assisting in building local ophthalmology centers, had successfully decreased the prevalence of visual impairment and blindness. However, new challenges arise with the aging population and the shift of the disease spectrum towards age-related eye diseases and myopia. With the constant technological boom, digital healthcare innovations in ophthalmology could immensely enhance screening and diagnosing capabilities. Artifcial intelligence (AI) and telemedicine have been proven valuable in clinical ophthalmology settings. Moreover, the integration of cutting-edge communication technology and AI in mobile clinics and remote surgeries is on the horizon, potentially revolutionizing blindness prevention and ophthalmic healthcare. The future of blindness prevention in China is poised to undergo signifcant transformation, driven by emerging challenges and new opportunities.
