Preventing corneal blindness caused by keratitis using artificial intelligence

Keratitis is the main cause of corneal blindness worldwide. Most vision loss caused by keratitis can be avoidable via early detection and treatment. The diagnosis of keratitis often requires skilled ophthalmologists. However, the world is short of ophthalmologists, especially in resource-limited settings, making the early diagnosis of keratitis challenging. Here, we develop a deep learning system for the automated classification of keratitis, other cornea abnormalities, and normal cornea based on 6,567 slit-lamp images. Our system exhibits remarkable performance in cornea images captured by the different types of digital slit lamp cameras and a smartphone with the super macro mode (all AUCs>0.96). The comparable sensitivity and specificity in keratitis detection are observed between the system and experienced cornea specialists. Our system has the potential to be applied to both digital slit lamp cameras and smartphones to promote the early diagnosis and treatment of keratitis, preventing the corneal blindness caused by keratitis. Keratitis is the main cause of corneal blindness worldwide, but most vision loss caused by keratitis can be avoidable via early detection and treatment, which are challenging in resource-limited settings. Here, the authors develop a deep learning system for the automated classification of keratitis and other cornea abnormalities.

Automated summary

Keratitis is the main cause of corneal blindness worldwide, early detection and treatment are key to avoiding vision loss. A deep learning system for automated classification of keratitis and other cornea abnormalities has been developed to help address the shortage of ophthalmologists in resource-limited settings.