Haemorrhage diagnosis in colour fundus images using a fast-convolutional neural network based on a modified U-Net

Abstract

ABSTRACT Retinal haemorrhage stands as an early indicator of diabetic retinopathy, necessitating accurate detection for timely diagnosis. Addressing this need, this study proposes an enhanced machine-based diagnostic test for diabetic retinopathy through an updated UNet framework, adept at scrutinizing fundus images for signs of retinal haemorrhages. The customized UNet underwent GPU training using the IDRiD database, validated against the publicly available DIARETDB1 and IDRiD datasets. Emphasizing the complexity of segmentation, the study employed preprocessing techniques, augmenting image quality and data integrity. Subsequently, the trained neural network showcased a remarkable performance boost, accurately identifying haemorrhage regions with 80% sensitivity, 99.6% specificity, and 98.6% accuracy. The experimental findings solidify the network’s reliability, showcasing potential to alleviate ophthalmologists’ workload significantly. Notably, achieving an Intersection over Union (IoU) of 76.61% and a Dice coefficient of 86.51% underscores the system’s competence. The study’s outcomes signify substantial enhancements in diagnosing critical diabetic retinal conditions, promising profound improvements in diagnostic accuracy and efficiency, thereby marking a significant advancement in automated retinal haemorrhage detection for diabetic retinopathy.