Post

New research · Ophthalmology
Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 4d
AI / informaticsMedicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2026

A Roadmap for National Diabetic Retinopathy Screening in Croatia: Integrating European Evidence, Telemedicine, and AI.

Toma Babić, Martina Tomić, Nenad Vukojević … Tea Čaljkušić Mance
Read paper
OphthalmologyAI / informatics

Pilot screening found diabetic retinopathy in 40% of screened Croatian type 2 diabetes patients.

A Roadmap for National Diabetic Retinopathy Screening in Croatia: Integrating European Evidence, Telemedicine, and AI.

Toma Babić … Tea Čaljkušić Mance
Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2026
Background

Diabetic retinopathy (diabetic retinopathy) is a leading cause of preventable blindness among working-age adults.

Purpose

This narrative review examines European diabetic retinopathy screening programmes, evaluates telemedicine and artificial intelligence (artificial intelligence) as enabling technologies, and proposes a phased roadmap for a national programme in Croatia.

Results
40%
eye exam found this share had diabetes-related retina damage
More results

The proposed programme combines decentralised telemedicine-based imaging at primary care sites with centralised grading, a staged rollout across three phases targeting 400,000 annual screenings, and stepwise artificial intelligence integration for triage.

More results

Successful European programmes share standardised digital imaging, trained grading workforces, embedded quality assurance, and registry linkage.

“
Conclusion

With dedicated funding and sustained political commitment, Croatia could adopt a hybrid telemedicine-artificial intelligence model and, under favourable implementation conditions, reduce the burden of advanced diabetic retinopathy over the coming decade.

Read paper
0 comments

No comments yet. Be the first.

Related papers

LatestFoundational
AI / Informatics
0·962 for OCT
MerMED-FM was very accurate at diagnosing diseases using eye scans
AI / Informatics
0.98
Artificial intelligence's eyelid-height measurements matched doctors' manual measurements almost perfectly
AI / Informatics
92.1%
combining eye scans and photos correctly told benign from cancerous lesions apart nearly every time
Cohort Study
28.6%
recurred locally in more than 1 in 4 patients over years of follow-up
Cohort Study
-0.395
excision group's post-op eyelid fullness score was lower - greater improvement
Cohort Study
86.7%
of infants probed after 12 months still had unresolved tear duct blockage
Observational
16%
eyelid tissue in rosacea patients showed less of this key repair-signaling protein inside cell nuclei
Cohort Study
25%
about 1 in 4 treated cases had symptoms return after improving