[SMILE (Small Incision Lenticule Extraction) among the corneal refractive surgeries in 2018 (French translation of the article)]

A Two-Decade Bibliometric Analysis of Laser in Ophthalmology: From Past to Present

Background

Laser therapy has been proven as an effective technique for managing ophthalmological disorders. To guide future research, we conducted a bibliometric analysis of laser applications in eye diseases from 1990 to 2022, aiming to identify key themes and trends.

Methods

We retrieved 3027 publications from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC). Bibliometrix was used for science mapping of the literature, while VOSviewer and CiteSpace were applied to visualize co-authorship, co-citation, co-occurrence, and bibliographic coupling networks.

Results

From a co-citation reference network, we identified 52 distinct clusters. Our analysis uncovered three main research trends. The first trend revolves around the potential evolution of corneal laser surgery techniques, shifting from the treatment of refractive errors to broader applications in biomedical optics. The second trend illustrates the advancement of laser applications in treating a range of disorders, from retinal and ocular surface diseases to glaucoma. The third trend focuses on the innovative uses of established technologies.

Conclusion

This study offers significant insights into the evolution of laser applications in ophthalmology over the past 30 years, which will undoubtedly assist scientists in directing further research in this promising field.