Diabetic retinopathy classification for supervised machine learning algorithms

Artificial intelligence and automated technology were first reported more than 70 years ago and nowadays provide unprecedented diagnostic accuracy, screening capacity, risk stratification, and workflow optimization. Diabetic retinopathy is an important cause of preventable blindness worldwide, and artificial intelligence technology provides precocious diagnosis, monitoring, and guide treatment. High-quality exams are fundamental in supervised artificial intelligence algorithms, but the lack of ground truth standards in retinal exams datasets is a problem.

In this article, ETDRS, NHS, ICDR, SDGS diabetic retinopathy grading, and manual annotation are described and compared in publicly available datasets. The various DR labeling systems generate a fundamental problem for AI datasets. Possible solutions are standardization of DR classification and direct retinal-finding identifications.

Reliable labeling methods also need to be considered in datasets with more trustworthy labeling.