Science Explorer Interactive view Map
Subfield · Medicine

Ophthalmology research

Ophthalmology is a subfield of Medicine. Science Explorer counts 338k research works in it since 1950. 13.8% of them reached the world's top 10% most cited for their field and year.

In short: field of medicine treating eye disorders.

Research works
338k
fractional, since 1950
In the world top 10%
47k
per year above
Top-10% rate
13.8%
share of its works in the world top 10%
Topics
12
Growth, 2013–17 → 2018–22
+25%
the tick is no change

This ranks research output and citation impact. It says nothing about the quality of diagnosis, treatment or care.

What is Ophthalmology research about, and what is growing?

By the world's output in 2019–23, its most used keywords are Optical Coherence Tomography, Glaucoma, Intravitreal Injection, Intraocular Pressure, Optic Nerve, Macular Degeneration. Gaining share since 2009–13: COVID-19, Ocular Findings, Medical Students, Ophthalmoscopy. Losing share: Laser Eye Injuries, Retinal Damage, Femtosecond Laser, Intraocular Lens Implantation.

▲ gaining share of this field◆ holding its share▼ losing share

Size is the world's fractional works in 2019–23 in the topics tagged with each word; colour compares the word's share of this field with 2009–13. Each links to the topic it comes from most.

All 29 words, with their numbers
  1. Optical Coherence Tomography24k◆ 1.04×2 topics
  2. Glaucoma23k◆ 0.87×2 topics
  3. Intravitreal Injection19k◆ 1.07×2 topics
  4. Intraocular Pressure15k◆ 0.88×1 topic
  5. Optic Nerve15k◆ 0.88×1 topic
  6. Macular Degeneration14k◆ 1.10×1 topic
  7. Retinal Pigment Epithelium14k◆ 1.10×1 topic
  8. Epidemiology12k◆ 1.05×2 topics
  9. Endophthalmitis9,285◆ 0.99×2 topics
  10. COVID-198,707▲ 1.52×1 topic
  11. Ocular Findings8,707▲ 1.52×1 topic
  12. Behçet's Disease7,329◆ 1.08×1 topic
  13. Uveitis7,329◆ 1.08×1 topic
  14. Femtosecond Laser7,324▼ 0.85×1 topic
  15. Intraocular Lens Implantation7,324▼ 0.85×1 topic
  16. Intraocular Foreign Bodies5,018◆ 1.00×1 topic
  17. Ocular Trauma Score5,018◆ 1.00×1 topic
  18. Keratitis4,267◆ 0.98×1 topic
  19. Ocular Infections4,267◆ 0.98×1 topic
  20. Retinoblastoma3,937◆ 0.97×1 topic
  21. Uveal Melanoma3,937◆ 0.97×1 topic
  22. Medical Students3,061▲ 1.36×1 topic
  23. Ophthalmoscopy3,061▲ 1.36×1 topic
  24. Laser Eye Injuries2,813▼ 0.59×1 topic
  25. Retinal Damage2,813▼ 0.59×1 topic
  26. Chloroquine1,611◆ 0.98×1 topic
  27. Retinopathy1,611◆ 0.98×1 topic
  28. Dacryocystorhinostomy1,292◆ 0.94×1 topic
  29. Endoscopic1,292◆ 0.94×1 topic

Which countries lead Ophthalmology research?

On research quality in 2022–2025, the United States, China and the United Kingdom rank highest in Ophthalmology. By volume, the United States and China publish the most (11k and 8.1k works in 2022–2025).

By research quality, 2022–2025

  1. 1 United States · #1 all time 16.0% top 10% · 11k works
  2. 2 China · #3 all time 19.6% top 10% · 8.1k works
  3. 3 United Kingdom · #2 all time 17.5% top 10% · 2.4k works
  4. 4 India · #9 all time 7.0% top 10% · 6.1k works
  5. 5 Australia · #6 all time 23.3% top 10% · 972 works
  6. 6 Italy · #7 all time 21.2% top 10% · 1.5k works
  7. 7 Germany · #4 all time 14.5% top 10% · 1.9k works
  8. 8 Japan · #5 all time 13.3% top 10% · 2.1k works
  9. 9 France · #8 all time 13.5% top 10% · 1.2k works
  10. 10 Spain · #11 all time 10.2% top 10% · 1.5k works

The track on each row is that row’s top-10% rate. The ranking itself is the composite score, which the rate is only one part of.

Of 44 countries ranked in Ophthalmology. Composite of field-normalised excellence (50%), output (30%) and citations (20%); the bracket is the all-time rank.

All countries ranked in Ophthalmology

By volume, 2022–2025

  1. 1 United States 11k works
  2. 2 China 8.1k works
  3. 3 India 6.1k works
  4. 4 United Kingdom 2.4k works
  5. 5 Japan 2.1k works
  6. 6 Germany 1.9k works
  7. 7 Türkiye 1.9k works
  8. 8 South Korea 1.6k works
  9. 9 Spain 1.5k works
  10. 10 Italy 1.5k works

How concentrated that is

The same countries as shares of everything the list above accounts for. A node where two countries do two thirds of the work and one spread evenly across twelve read alike as a ranking and not at all alike here.

United States: 28.6%China: 21.4%India: 16.0%United Kingdom: 6.3%6 others listed: 27.7%29%largest
United States11k · 28.6%China8,112 · 21.4%India6,058 · 16.0%United Kingdom2,370 · 6.3%6 others listed11k · 27.7%

Shares of the rows listed above, not of the whole node.

Which institutions lead Ophthalmology research?

L V Prasad Eye Institute (India) ranks first in Ophthalmology on research quality in 2022–2025, followed by University College London and Harvard University.

By research quality, 2022–2025

  1. 1 L V Prasad Eye Institute India · Hyderabad · #14 all time 11.2% top 10% · 422 works
  2. 2 University College London United Kingdom · London · #4 all time 21.8% top 10% · 202 works
  3. 3 Harvard University United States · Cambridge · #2 all time 23.2% top 10% · 184 works
  4. 4 Sun Yat-sen University China · Guangzhou · #41 all time 20.4% top 10% · 330 works
  5. 5 Johns Hopkins University United States · Baltimore · #1 all time 22.1% top 10% · 167 works
  6. 6 Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary United States · Boston · #5 all time 19.4% top 10% · 169 works
  7. 7 Shanghai Jiao Tong University China · Shanghai · #92 all time 26.3% top 10% · 112 works
  8. 8 University of Miami United States · Coral Gables · #3 all time 19.0% top 10% · 204 works
  9. 9 Capital Medical University China · Beijing · #79 all time 18.9% top 10% · 164 works
  10. 10 Central South University China · Changsha 26.9% top 10% · 91 works

The track on each row is that row’s top-10% rate. The ranking itself is the composite score, which the rate is only one part of.

Of 94 institutions above the floor of 40 fractional works in Ophthalmology.

Top 100 Ophthalmology institutions

By volume, 2022–2025

  1. 1 L V Prasad Eye InstituteIndia 423 works
  2. 2 Aravind Eye HospitalIndia 351 works
  3. 3 All India Institute of Medical SciencesIndia 342 works
  4. 4 Sun Yat-sen UniversityChina 330 works
  5. 5 Creative CommonsUnited States 306 works
  6. 6 Sankara NethralayaIndia 206 works
  7. 7 University of MiamiUnited States 204 works
  8. 8 University College LondonUnited Kingdom 202 works
  9. 9 Harvard UniversityUnited States 184 works
  10. 10 Sağlık Bilimleri ÜniversitesiTürkiye 178 works

Who are the leading researchers in Ophthalmology?

Among the most productive authors in Ophthalmology, Jost B. Jonas, Hugh R. Taylor and Harry A. Quigley rank highest on the composite score.

  1. 1 Jost B. Jonas Germany · #12 worldwide 7.7k citations · 243 works
  2. 2 Hugh R. Taylor Australia · #158 worldwide 2.9k citations · 132 works
  3. 3 Harry A. Quigley United States · #380 worldwide 2.5k citations · 124 works
  4. 4 Mehdi Yaseri Iran · #475 worldwide 3.7k citations · 103 works
  5. 5 George D. Yancopoulos United States · #1,215 worldwide 2.5k citations · 105 works
  6. 6 E Shyong Tai Singapore · #1,760 worldwide 2.3k citations · 88 works
  7. 7 Ching‐Yu Cheng Singapore · #1,904 worldwide 1.9k citations · 162 works
  8. 8 Konrad Pesudovs Australia · #2,238 worldwide 4.4k citations · 72 works
  9. 9 H. Goldmann Switzerland · #2,320 worldwide 575 citations · 84 works
  10. 10 Richard D. Carvajal United States · #2,382 worldwide 1.7k citations · 81 works

Re-ranked on the composite score from the 4,751 highest-output authors in Ophthalmology. Identities come from OpenAlex author disambiguation, which occasionally merges or splits people.

Top 100 Ophthalmology researchers

Where is Ophthalmology research done?

The largest centres of Ophthalmology research in 2022–2025 are Beijing (China), London (United Kingdom), Shanghai (China) and Seoul (South Korea). Among places with at least 20 works in it, it is an unusually large share of all research in Brecksville, Oxnard and Poland.

Largest cities, 2022–2025

  1. 1 Beijing China 1.3k works
  2. 2 London United Kingdom 896 works
  3. 3 Shanghai China 813 works
  4. 4 Seoul South Korea 792 works
  5. 5 Moscow Russia 715 works
  6. 6 Guangzhou China 628 works
  7. 7 New Delhi India 619 works
  8. 8 Tokyo Japan 600 works
  9. 9 Chennai India 598 works
  10. 10 Istanbul Türkiye 581 works

Where it is the local speciality

  1. BrecksvilleUS · 73.7 works119×
  2. OxnardUS · 25.9 works111×
  3. PolandUS · 30.6 works95×
  4. San FranciscoUS · 65.8 works65×
← less than its size predicts1×more →

Location quotient: how much more of its research is in Ophthalmology than the world average.

See Ophthalmology on the map

Ophthalmology research by country

The best places for Ophthalmology research inside each country, with that country's researchers and world standing.

Where is the best place to study Ophthalmology?

Among universities, judged by research, Duke-NUS Medical School, All India Institute of Medical Sciences and Medical University of Vienna score highest, combining excellence, specialisation, size, growth and international reach. Research strength is one signal when choosing where to study; it does not measure teaching.

0%20%40%mean 20.82%fractional works in this node (log) →share in the world top 10% →Duke-NUS Medical School: 46, 32.0%All India Institute of Medical Sciences: 342, 7.4%Medical University of Vienna: 80, 34.7%University of Miami: 204, 19.0%Vita-Salute San Raffaele University: 59, 20.3%Wenzhou Medical University: 147, 22.9%Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research: 136, 9.8%Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College: 36, 25.2%Queen's University Belfast: 50, 32.6%Sağlık Bilimleri Üniversitesi: 178, 4.3%Medical University o…Duke-NUS Medical Sch…University of MiamiAll India Institute …
above the meannear itbelow it

One dot per university in the table below. The upper left is the interesting corner: small places doing unusually strong work.

#UniversityScoreTop 10%SpecialisationWorksGrowth
1 Duke-NUS Medical SchoolSingapore 74.932.0%11.6×46 +254.8%
2 All India Institute of Medical SciencesIndia 61.57.4%10.4×342 +140.1%
3 Medical University of ViennaAustria 59.534.7%4.9×80 +74.2%
4 University of MiamiUnited States 55.419.0%7.8×204 +15.9%
5 Vita-Salute San Raffaele UniversityItaly 55.420.3%8.5×59 +88.9%
6 Wenzhou Medical UniversityChina 54.822.9%7.9×147 +7.4%
7 Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and ResearchIndia 52.49.8%7.7×136 +165.1%
8 Jawaharlal Nehru Medical CollegeIndia 51.525.2%5.6×36 +613.9%
9 Queen's University BelfastUnited Kingdom 50.332.6%2.9×50 +84.1%
10 Sağlık Bilimleri ÜniversitesiTürkiye 49.14.3%5.8×178 +5808.5%

Universities only. Score blends excellence (30%), specialisation (25%), size (20%), growth (15%) and international reach (10%), 2015–2022; growth compares 2010–14 with 2015–19.

Is Ophthalmology research growing?

Output in 2018–2022 was 25% higher than in 2013–2017, peaking in 2021. The fastest-growing topics are Ophthalmology and Visual Health Research, Retinal and Optic Conditions and Retinal Diseases and Treatments.

19801990200020102020
grewheldshrank

The same series as a ribbon — one cell per year, darker for more. The line above answers how much; this answers when.

Which topics inside it are moving

Growth and decline on one axis around a shared zero. Two lists side by side hide the thing that matters: whether the growth dwarfs the decline, or the other way round.

  1. Ophthalmology and Visual Health Research+198%
  2. Retinal and Optic Conditions+94%
  3. Retinal Diseases and Treatments+87%
  4. Ocular Diseases and Behçet’s Syndrome+81%
  5. Nasolacrimal Duct Obstruction Treatments+70%
  6. Traumatic Ocular and Foreign Body Injuries+66%
  7. Ocular and Laser Science Research-1%
← shrinkingno changegrowing →

Growth in output from 2005–09 to 2015–19. Every topic is a page of its own.

What does Ophthalmology include?

Glaucoma and retinal dis…73kGlaucoma and retinal disorders: 73k fractional worksRetinal Diseases and Treatments: 56k fractional worksIntraocular Surgery and …39kIntraocular Surgery and Lenses: 39k fractional worksOcular Diseases and Behç…30kOcular Diseases and Behçet’s Syndrome: 30k fractional worksRetinal and Optic Conditions: 29k fractional worksTraumatic Ocular and Foreign Body Injuries: 24k fractional worksOcular and Laser Science…22kOcular and Laser Science Research: 22k fractional worksOcular Infections and Treatments: 20k fractional worksOcular Oncology and Treatments: 19k fractional worksOphthalmology and Visual Health Research: 12k fractional worksDrug-Induced Ocular Toxicity: 8,019 fractional worksNasolacrimal Duct Obstruction Treatments: 6,127 fractional works

Area is fractional works in that topic. Every name below is a page of its own.