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Artificial Intelligence in Ophthalmology: A New Era for Retinal Disease Detection and Treatment

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Neurobiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2026) | Viewed by 835

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Laboratory of Visual Neuroscience, Graduate Course in Biological Sciences, Division of Science and Engineering, Iwate University, 4-3-5 Ueda, Morioka 020-8551, Iwate, Japan
Interests: photoreceptor degeneration; retinal development; retinal gene therapy
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into retinal disease research has transformed not only clinical diagnosis but also molecular and pathological investigations. AI-powered image analysis enables automated detection and classification of retinal diseases such as diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration, and glaucoma from high-resolution imaging data, including optical coherence tomography (OCT) and fundus photographs. Beyond imaging, AI is increasingly applied to molecular datasets such as transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics, allowing researchers to identify disease-related biomarkers and molecular pathways with unprecedented precision. In pathological research, deep learning models can quantify cellular and tissue-level alterations in histological samples, facilitating objective assessment of retinal degeneration and inflammation. By integrating clinical, molecular, and pathological data, AI provides a comprehensive understanding of disease mechanisms and progression. Ultimately, this multidisciplinary approach holds great promise for early detection, personalized treatment, and the discovery of novel therapeutic targets for retinal disorders.

Prof. Dr. Hiroshi Tomita
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • artificial intelligence
  • retina
  • imaging
  • transcriptome analysis
  • protein modeling

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

9 pages, 1765 KB  
Communication
Quercetin Dilates Retinal Arterioles via Nitric Oxide-Dependent Mechanisms in Rats
by Asami Mori, Akihiro Sakurai, Sarina Takimoto, Kenji Sakamoto and Tsutomu Nakahara
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2026, 27(3), 1604; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms27031604 - 6 Feb 2026
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 557
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate whether quercetin, a flavonoid abundantly found in onion leaves and other plant foods, induces the dilation of retinal blood vessels in rats. The time-course changes in retinal arteriolar diameter were measured using a retinal circulation [...] Read more.
The purpose of this study was to investigate whether quercetin, a flavonoid abundantly found in onion leaves and other plant foods, induces the dilation of retinal blood vessels in rats. The time-course changes in retinal arteriolar diameter were measured using a retinal circulation evaluation system based on a high-resolution digital fundus camera developed in our laboratory. The intravenous administration of quercetin (10–100 µg/kg/min) increased the retinal arteriolar diameter in a dose-dependent manner. This vasodilatory effect of quercetin was almost completely suppressed through an intravitreal pretreatment with Nω-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (l-NAME), a nitric oxide (NO) synthase inhibitor. In contrast, the systemic intravenous infusion of quercetin did not cause significant changes in the systemic blood pressure and heart rate. These results suggest that NO production plays an important role in the quercetin-induced dilation of retinal arterioles. Quercetin, which is abundantly present in several plant foods and possesses antioxidant properties, may be a useful agent for the prevention of various ocular diseases associated with visual impairment caused by reduced retinal blood flow. Full article
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