Keratoconus Severity Staging Using Random Forest and Gradient Boosting Ensemble Techniques

Abstract

YesAccurate keratoconus (KC) staging is vital for improving patient care and guiding clinical decision making. Choosing the right Machine Learning (ML) algorithm is key to effectively tackling this challenge and ensuring optimal performance. This paper presents a detailed comparison of eight ML algorithms commonly used in KC detection, based on a clinical dataset collected by the authors over the past decade. The study investigates each algorithm's effectiveness in distinguishing KC severity stages. Results showed that ensemble learning algorithms outperformed others, with Random Forest (RF) achieving the highest accuracy at 98.82%, followed closely by Gradient Boosting (GB) at 98.24%. These models also had the highest classification quality scores, with RF at 0.985 and GB at 0.978. These findings underscore the strength and effectiveness of ensemble classifiers for KC severity staging. Furthermore, the top-performing model (RF) exceeded results from recent studies on KC severity, highlighting its potential for clinical application.The full text will be available at the end of the publisher's embargo: 20th May 202