Machine Learning Method for the Diagnosis of Retinal Diseases using Convolutional Neural Network
Sumit Kushwaha, Jayaram Boga, Bairaboina Sai Sambasiva Rao, Syed Noeman Taqui, R.G. Vidhya, J. Surendiran
Abstract
The early diagnosis of visual problems such as diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma relies on the successful completion of medical image processing tasks such as the segmentation of retinal blood vessels. The process of isolating retinal blood vessels from images of the retinal fundus is a challenging one because of the similarities in intensity that exist between blood vessels and the surrounding tissues. In addition, there are differences in the size, shape, and intensity of the vessels. In recent times, a number of different algorithms based on deep learning have been presented for the segmentation of retinal blood vessels. These techniques have been shown to be more accurate and dependable when compared to the traditional computer vision methods that have been used. In this abstract, we present the U-Net deep learning model as well as a technique for segmenting retinal blood vessels that is based on the programming language Python. A U-Net model is trained using a series of retinal fundus images so that the features of retinal blood vessels may be comprehended. As part of the inference process, the image of the retinal fundus is loaded into a trained version of the U-Net model. This model then generates a probability map that illustrates the chance that each pixel represents an artery in the human body. The final segmentation is produced by applying a threshold to the probability map. When it comes to the process of segmenting retinal blood vessels, our python-based solution outperforms methods that are considered to be state-of-the-art in studies comparing accuracy and speed. The scientific and medical communities have unrestricted access to the software that may be used to put the suggested strategy into action since it is an open-source initiative. In conclusion, the python-based approach for retinal blood vessel segmentation that makes use of U-Net provides a potentially helpful solution for identifying retinal illnesses and has the potential to serve as a standard for further research in this field.