Longtime Vision Function Prediction in Childhood Cataract Patients Based on Optical Coherence Tomography Images

The results of visual prediction reflect the tendency and speed of visual development during a future period, based on which ophthalmologists and guardians can know the potential visual prognosis in advance, decide on an intervention plan, and contribute to visual development. In our study, we developed an intelligent system based on the features of optical coherence tomography images for long-term prediction of best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) 3 and 5 years in advance. Two hundred eyes of 132 patients were included. Six machine learning algorithms were applied. In the BCVA predictions, small errors within two lines of the visual chart were achieved. The mean absolute errors (MAEs) between the prediction results and ground truth were 0.1482-0.2117 logMAR for 3-year predictions and 0.1198-0.1845 logMAR for 5-year predictions; the root mean square errors (RMSEs) were 0.1916-0.2942 logMAR for 3-year predictions and 0.1692-0.2537 logMAR for 5-year predictions. This is the first study to predict post-therapeutic BCVAs in young children. This work establishes a reliable method to predict prognosis 5 years in advance. The application of our research contributes to the design of visual intervention plans and visual prognosis.