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Article History

Received: 6 July 2025

Accepted: 2 March 2026

First Online: 18 March 2026

Declarations

:

: The research protocol was reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee of Amrita School of Medicine on November 8, 2024 (Approval No. ECASM-AIMS-2024-506, Reg. No. EC/NEW/INST/2023/KL/0379), in accordance with institutional guidelines and relevant national ethical regulations. The committee found no ethical issues, and clearance was granted. All patient data used in this study were anonymized prior to analysis. Informed consent was obtained from all participants or their legal guardians prior to data collection and image acquisition for testing the model. This research includes innovative methodologies that have been legally protected through intellectual property rights. The patented work, titled “A sustainable and cost-effective AI- based alternative to OCT: Integrating Fundus Images and Clinical Data for Macular Thickness Estimation in Diabetic Macular Edema.”, has been filed and published under Patent No. 202541054421 by Dr. Manju. B.R, Aparna C A and Dr Gopal S Pillai.

: The author confirms that appropriate permission has been obtained from Dr. Gopal S. Pillai, Professor at Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences (AIMS), Kochi, Kerala, India, and Dr Sabitha S, HOD, Sabitha Eye Care Hospital, Pathanamthitta, Kerala, India for the use and publication of anonymized fundus images and related clinical insights for testing the model used in this study. The data were used solely for academic and research purposes with the consent of the institution and under ethical standards.

: The authors declare no competing interests.