By A. Paul Chous, MA, OD, FAAO, CDE

The FDA just gave first approval to an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm for the detection of diabetic retinopathy in the offices of non-ophthalmic health care practitioners. Dubbed the IDx-DR (IDx, LLC, Coralville, Iowa), and paired with a Topcon NW400 non-mydriatic retinal camera, captured images are sent to a cloud-based server that utilizes the IDx-DR software and a ‘deep learning’ algorithm to detect retinal findings consistent with diabetic retinopathy based on autonomous comparison with a large dataset of representative fundus images.

This represents the first such update by the American Diabetes Association since 2002, and is notable for inclusion of the latest evidence and recommendations with respect to appropriate eye examination intervals, referral criteria, prevention of incidence and progression of diabetic retinopathy (DR), and treatment strategies.

In part 5, the finale, of this Exclusive Interview, DIC publisher Steve Freed asks about the possibility of expanding the study of the nutritional supplement to address diabetic retinopathy.

In part 3 of this Exclusive Interview, Dr. Chous gives a brief tour of what's on the horizon in treating diabetic eye disease.

In part 2 of this Exclusive Interview, DIC Publisher Steve Freed asks about the success of anti-VEGF agents with lower A1Cs.

In part 1 of this Exclusive Interview, Dr. Paul Chous discusses the significance of studies around the three anti-VEGF injections that seek to determine which is the best.

Protection of visual function may signal disruption of mechanisms underlying diabetic retinopathy (DR)… This was a 6-month randomized, controlled clinical trial of patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes with no retinopathy or mild to moderate non-proliferative retinopathy assigned to twice-daily consumption of placebo or a novel, multi-component formula …

With this week’s Homerun Slides, we wrap up this short series on DME with a case study on how ranibizumab helped one patient who had waited too long for her regular exam, and Dr. Chous gives us a short summary of ways to prevent both DME and the vision loss associated …

With this week’s Homerun Slides, we cover topics including: Importance of Early Treatment; What Anti-VEGF is Best for DME; Intravitreal Steroid Implants; and "Does Good Blood Glucose Control Even Matter Once We Start Using anti-VEGF Agents for DR/DME?"…. To download this set of Homerun Slides in PowerPoint format (.ppt) just use …

With this week’s Homerun Slides, we delve further into the treatment of Diabetic Macular Edema (DME). We look at Macular Laser Therapy and why, although it can be very effective, it isn’t necessarily the best solution available today. Now, with new drugs on the market such as Avastin, Lucentis, and Eylea, …