Variability and Repeatability Tests of ARMD Assessment Using the AD3RI Tool

Abstract : Age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) is a common disease in the elderly and is currently the main cause of blindness in developed countries. Drusen are one of its risks factors, which are visible in a retinal examination. Its quantitative analysis is important in the follow up of the ARMD. The authors have previously developed two tools for semi-automatic and automatic drusen quantification. In this paper five tests performed on these tools are presented and discussed in order to evaluate their accuracy, variability and repeatability. The statistical results show that the automatic tool is as accurate as the experts in Drusen quantification, with the advantage of being a reproducible method. The semi-automatic quantification method, which was used by the experts for Drusen quantification, proved statistically to produce a high intra-observer agreement.