Comparison review of image classification techniques for early diagnosis of diabetic retinopathy

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is one of the leading causes of vision loss in adults and is one of the detrimental side effects of the mass prevalence of Diabetes Mellitus (DM). It is crucial to have an efficient screening method for early diagnosis of DR to prevent vision loss. This paper compares and analyzes the various Machine Learning (ML) techniques, from traditional ML to advanced Deep Learning models. We compared and analyzed the efficacy of Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), Capsule Networks (CapsNet), K-Nearest Neighbor (KNN), Support Vector Machine (SVM), decision trees, and Random Forests. This paper also considers determining factors in the evaluation, including contrast enhancements, noise reduction, grayscaling, etc We analyze recent research studies and compare methodologies and metrics, including accuracy, precision, sensitivity, and specificity. The findings highlight the advanced performance of Deep Learning (DL) models, with CapsNet achieving a remarkable accuracy of up to 97.98% and a high precision rate, outperforming other traditional ML methods. The Contrast Limited Adaptive Histogram Equalization (CLAHE) preprocessing technique substantially enhanced the model's efficiency. Each ML method's computational requirements are also considered. While most advanced deep learning methods performed better according to the metrics, they are more computationally complex, requiring more resources and data input. We also discussed how datasets like MESSIDOR could be more straightforward and contribute to highly evaluated performance and that there is a lack of consistency regarding benchmark datasets across papers in the field. Using the DL models facilitates accurate early detection for DR screening, can potentially reduce vision loss risks, and improves accessibility and cost-efficiency of eye screening. Further research is recommended to extend our findings by building models with public datasets, experimenting with ensembles of DL and traditional ML models, and considering testing high-performing models like CapsNet.