The development of population aging and changes in the way people use their eyes over the recent years have increasingly challenged the existing ophthalmic medical resources to meet the growing medical needs, thus urgently calling for a novel diagnostic and treatment mode. Despite its status as an emerging sector in ophthalmology, ophthalmic artificial intelligence has developed rapidly in the screening and diagnosis of eye diseases, as can be seen in practices adopting the “eye imaging data + AI” mode. In recent years, with the intensified research on this mode with respect to common diseases such as cataract, glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy, relevant technologies have grown increasingly mature, presenting undeniable application superiority and prospects. Some of the relevant technical achievements have also been successfully transformed for practical usage, and are gradually being applied to clinical practices. Ophthalmic diagnosis and treatment are transitioning toward the era of intelligent medical services, which are expected to reduce the contradictions between the growing medical needs and the shortage of medical resources, as well as ultimately improve the overall experience of medical services.
