Artificial intelligence in ophthalmology: the present and the future

Abstract

The medical industry is undergoing an active digital transformation, including the creation of electronic databases, cloud security systems, mobile health monitoring devices, and telemedicine tools. Artificial intelligence (AI), one of the most important technological achievements of the last decade, is gradually gaining momentum in various areas of practical medicine. The cutting edge of AI, neural networks, offers promising approaches to the improvement of clinical examination quality. The review presents data of studies focusing on the use of AI tools in the diagnosis of the most common ophthalmic diseases: diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration, retinopathy of prematurity, glaucoma, cataracts, and ophthalmic oncology. We discuss both the advantages of neural networks in the diagnosis and monitoring of eye diseases, and outline the difficulties of their implementation, including ethical and legal conflicts.