Table 1 Current challenges and future direction for research in diabetic retinal diseases

Intrinsic performance limitation

Expand research on enhancing the core intelligence of AI models to ensure they maintain accuracy and reliability when exposed to a broad range of clinical data

Regulatory barriers

Collaboration between AI developers, healthcare professionals and regulatory agencies to create a comprehensive framework for the evaluation and certification of AI-based medical devices and systems

Ethical and privacy concerns

Advance the use of anonymization and synthetic data techniques

Establish clear guidelines and protocols for data handling that build public trust

Implementation difficulties

Implementation with proper strategy to ensure cost-effectiveness

Create educational programs and interactive platforms that facilitate clinician engagement