Deep Learning Innovations in Diagnosing Diabetic Retinopathy: The
  Potential of Transfer Learning and the DiaCNN Model
Mohamed R. Shoaib Heba M. Emara Jun Zhao Walid El-Shafai Naglaa F. Soliman Ahmed S. Mubarak Osama A. Omer Fathi E. Abd El-Samie Hamada Esmaiel
Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a significant cause of vision impairment,
emphasizing the critical need for early detection and timely intervention to
avert visual deterioration. Diagnosing DR is inherently complex, as it
necessitates the meticulous examination of intricate retinal images by
experienced specialists. This makes the early diagnosis of DR essential for
effective treatment and the prevention of eventual blindness. Traditional
diagnostic methods, relying on human interpretation of these medical images,
face challenges in terms of accuracy and efficiency. In the present research,
we introduce a novel method that offers superior precision in DR diagnosis,
compared to these traditional methods, by employing advanced deep learning
techniques. Central to this approach is the concept of transfer learning. This
entails using pre-existing, well-established models, specifically
InceptionResNetv2 and Inceptionv3, to extract features and fine-tune select
layers to cater to the unique requirements of this specific diagnostic task.
Concurrently, we also present a newly devised model, DiaCNN, which is tailored
for the classification of eye diseases. To validate the efficacy of the
proposed methodology, we leveraged the Ocular Disease Intelligent Recognition
(ODIR) dataset, which comprises eight different eye disease categories. The
results were promising. The InceptionResNetv2 model, incorporating transfer
learning, registered an impressive 97.5% accuracy in both the training and
testing phases. Its counterpart, the Inceptionv3 model, achieved an even more
commendable 99.7% accuracy during training, and 97.5% during testing.
Remarkably, the DiaCNN model showcased unparalleled precision, achieving 100%
accuracy in training and 98.3\% in testing.