Automated Early-Stage Glaucoma Detection Using a Robust Concatenated AI Model

Abstract

Glaucoma is a leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide; therefore, detection of this disease in its early stage is crucial. However, previous efforts to identify early-stage glaucoma have faced challenges, including insufficient accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity. This study presents a concatenated artificial intelligence model that combines two types of input features: fundus images and quantitative retinal thickness parameters derived from macular and peri-papillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness measurements. These features undergo an intelligent transformation, referred to as “smart preprocessing”, to enhance their utility. The model employs two classification approaches: a convolutional neural network approach for processing image features and an artificial neural network approach for analyzing quantitative retinal thickness parameters. To maximize performance, hyperparameters were fine-tuned using a robust methodology for the design of experiments. The proposed AI model demonstrated outstanding performance in early-stage glaucoma detection, outperforming existing models; its accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, precision, and (Formula presented.) -Score all exceeding 0.90.