1. A method of identifying a subject with a disease of the retina comprising automatically detecting in a digital color fundus photograph of the subject abnormal objects in an Image ORG , comprising: a. reducing intensity variation in the Image ORG producing a shade-corrected image, Image SC and a background image, Image BG ; b. automatically detecting candidate objects in the Image SC ; and c. automatically classifying the candidate objects as abnormal or normal, wherein classification of an object as abnormal identifies a subject with a disease of the retina.