JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Retinal imaging has been applied for detecting eye diseases and cardiovascular risks using deep learning–based methods. Furthermore, retinal microvascular and structural changes were found in renal function impairment. However, a deep learning–based method for detecting early renal function impairment from retinal images has not yet been well studied.

Objective:

This study aimed to establish and evaluate a deep learning model for detecting early renal function impairment from retinal fundus images.

Methods:

This retrospective study enrolled patients who underwent renal function tests with color fundus images at any time between 2001 and 2019. A deep learning model was constructed to detect impaired renal function from the images. Early renal function impairment was defined as estimated glomerular filtration rate < 90 mL/min/1.73 m2. Model performance was evaluated with respect to receiver operating characteristic curve and area under the curve (AUC).

Results:

In total, 25 706 retinal fundus images were obtained from 6212 patients for the study period. The images were divided at an 8:1:1 ratio. The training, validation, and testing data sets respectively, contained 20 787, 2189, and 2730 images from 4970, 621, and 621 patients. There were 10 686 and 15 020 images determined to indicate normal and impaired renal function, respectively. The AUC of the model was 0.81 in the overall population. In subgroups stratified by serum hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) level, AUCs were 0.81, 0.84, 0.85, and 0.87 for the HbA1c levels of ≤6.5%, >6.5%, >7.5%, and >10%, respectively.

Conclusions:

This study’s deep learning model allows for early renal function impairment to be detected using retinal fundus images. The model was more accurate for patients with elevated serum HbA1c levels.