Retinal Revelations: Harnessing Deep Learning to Unmask Silent Brain Infarction and Predict Stroke Risk

In the moments before dawn, when the sky shifts from velvet indigo to the first pale brushstrokes of light, there exists a quiet interval in which secrets lie hidden silent, subtle, waiting to be discovered. It is in one such liminal space that DeepRETStroke reveals its extraordinary promise: to turn the eye into a window not only onto the world but into the hidden corridors of the brain. Through this innovation, a simple pair of retinal photographs can unveil silent brain infarctions — murmurs of past strokes that echo in microvascular hallways — and forecast future risk, offering a vision of prevention that once lay solely in the realm of costly imaging and intuition.

The Invisible Thief

Imagine a serene morning in a small town: dew clings to grass blades, birds hesitate on branches, and within a modest cottage, an elderly woman rises with her habitual grace. She feels well — no weakness, no confusion, no voice in her mind urging alarm. Yet somewhere deep within, a silent brain infarction has unfolded much like frost creeping beneath a windowpane: unnoticed, unheralded, yet leaving its indelible mark. This invisible thief robs memory, cognition, and promise without a single outward clue. Across the globe, one in five adults bears…