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Artificial Intelligence Using the Eye as a Biomarker of Systemic Risk

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Artificial Intelligence in Ophthalmology

Abstract

The eye is the sole organ in the body which allows for the direct observation and imaging of the neurological and vascular system. In recent years, researchers have harnessed the noninvasive nature of colour fundus photographs (CFPs) to examine changes in the retina as a possible marker of systemic disease risk. Building on large-scale epidemiological studies that have reported relationships of retinal features such as retinal vascular calibre with systemic diseases, the application of artificial intelligence (AI) technology, specifically in deep learning (DL), on CFPs is advancing new research that focuses on retina-systemic disease relationships. In this relatively new field, current studies fall into two basic groups: 1) cross-sectional studies that use AI-DL technology on CFP to detect or estimate systemic risk factors (e.g., age, blood pressure, smoking) or other biomarkers (e.g., coronary artery calcium); 2) longitudinal studies that use AI-DL technology on CFP to predict the incidence or risk of systemic disease (e.g., cardiovascular event or mortality). The range of systemic factors studied from CFP via AI-DL approaches is reviewed based on these cross-sectional and longitudinal studies, and areas of future research are discussed while acknowledging the limitations that AI-DL on CFP presents.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Singapore Eye Research Institute, Singapore National Eye Centre, Singapore, Singapore

    Rachel Marjorie Wei Wen Tseng, Tyler Hyungtaek Rim & Tien Yin Wong

  2. Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences Academic Clinical Program (Eye ACP), Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore

    Tyler Hyungtaek Rim & Tien Yin Wong

  3. Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong

    Carol Y. Cheung

Authors
  1. Rachel Marjorie Wei Wen Tseng
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  2. Tyler Hyungtaek Rim
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  3. Carol Y. Cheung
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  4. Tien Yin Wong
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tien Yin Wong .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ophthalmology, University of Warmia and Mazury, Olsztyn, Poland

    Andrzej Grzybowski

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Tseng, R.M.W.W., Rim, T.H., Cheung, C.Y., Wong, T.Y. (2021). Artificial Intelligence Using the Eye as a Biomarker of Systemic Risk. In: Grzybowski, A. (eds) Artificial Intelligence in Ophthalmology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-78601-4_22

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-78601-4_22

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