Automated Image Analysis and the Application of Diagnostic Algorithms in an Ocular Telehealth Network

The application of computer-based imaging algorithms to the diagnosis of human disease is already a reality, used routinely today in radiology, mammography, and pathology [1–3]. Recent advances in the imaging of the eye, in particular nonmydriatic and cross-sectional images of the retina, now provide high-quality digital data to diagnose and quantify features of many diseases, including diabetic retinopathy (DR). The potential of these imaging methods is clear. New computer-based systems and diagnostic algorithms hold the promise of producing low-cost, potentially automated, diagnostic imaging systems for managing diseases like DR on a societal scale.