AI Democratization in Optometry: Developing a Prototype with Azure Cognitive Services Platform

As Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology advances, it is used in almost every aspect of our lives. However, AI is still complicated to implement without help from computer engineers. In the health care field, knowledge of medical and computer knowledge is necessary to create AI-based medical systems. Close cooperation between medical experts and computer experts is essential. For this reason, even if there has been a continuous effort to apply AI into the medical field, it has yet to be universalized. In particular, in the field of optometry and ophthalmology, more complex technology is required than in other medical fields because it is necessary to analyze an eye image to diagnose a disease. Therefore, this study explores the possibility for medical professionals with little computer knowledge in the field of ophthalmology to develop an AI-based diagnostic system without the help of computer engineers. In addition, it explores not only the possibilities but also the diagnostic accuracy of the developed system. Our results show that the diagnostic system discriminates against five common eye diseases to some extent. This study explores whether AI democratization is possible even in the field of ophthalmology that requires advanced skills and knowledge.