DRCCT: Enhancing Diabetic Retinopathy Classification with a Compact Convolutional Transformer

Abstract

Diabetic retinopathy, a common complication of diabetes, is further exacerbated by factors such as hypertension and obesity. This study introduces the Diabetic Retinopathy Compact Convolutional Transformer (DRCCT) model, which combines convolutional and transformer techniques to enhance the classification of retinal images. The DRCCT model achieved an impressive average F1-score of 0.97, reflecting its high accuracy in detecting true positives while minimizing false positives. Over 100 training epochs, the model demonstrated outstanding generalization capabilities, achieving a remarkable training accuracy of 99% and a validation accuracy of 95%. This consistent improvement underscores the model’s robust learning process and its effectiveness in avoiding overfitting. On a newly evaluated dataset, the model attained precision and recall scores of 96.93% and 98.89%, respectively, indicating a well-balanced handling of false positives and false negatives. The model’s ability to classify retinal images into five distinct diabetic retinopathy categories demonstrates its potential to significantly improve automated diagnosis and aid in clinical decision-making.