PURPOSE: The application of hydrogels in corneal research has gained increasing attention, driven by continuous advancements in biotechnology. This study conducts a comprehensive bibliometric analysis to examine global research trends over the past two decades, employing visualization techniques to identify pivotal research domains and emerging directions.
METHODOLOGY: A cross-sectional study was conducted, wherein publications related to hydrogels and hydrogel-based delivery systems for corneal diseases were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection (2000-2024). The bibliometric tools Space and VOSviewer were employed to analyze contributions by country, institution, and author, as well as to identify relevant research areas. Additionally, key sub-themes emerging from the bibliometric analysis were further examined and discussed.
RESULTS: A total of 955 eligible publications were analyzed. The United States and China emerged as the leading contributors. The University of California System and Linköping University were identified as the most prolific institutions in the field. Among researchers, Griffith, May was found to have the highest number of publications, while Abigail Isaacson was the most cited author. The analysis revealed that the predominant research themes encompassed corneal contact lenses, artificial corneas, and drug delivery systems, while the prevailing research trends were centered on regenerative medicine and scaffold technology.
CONCLUSION: Through bibliometric analysis, this study identified research trends and strategic approaches in the field, examining key aspects such as publication year, country and institutional contributions, author impact, and keyword co-occurrence. The results indicate that the literature on hydrogel applications in corneal research has garnered increasing attention over the past two decades, demonstrating a steady upward trend. The subsequent sections further explore the significant role of hydrogels in this domain and discuss potential future research directions.
