Bibliometric analysis of published works in ocular trauma: a growing focus on open globe injury

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to analyze the trends and characteristics of ocular trauma research published from 2000 to 2022 to delineate the trajectory of the field’s research, provide information about the network of key contributors, and help determine future research strategies and direction. Methods: Web of Science was queried for published works using a series of keywords relating to ocular trauma: “globe rupture”, “ruptured globe”, “globe injury”, “ocular trauma”, “intraocular foreign body”, “eye trauma”, “eye injury”, and “traumatic endophthalmitis”. All article information was compiled using the VOSviewer software. Article information analyzed included year of publication, publishing journal, author, institution, country, and keywords/key terms. Results: A total of 3362 articles were identified. In the time period studied, there is a noticeable trend for an increase in the number of papers pertaining to ocular trauma to be published annually. The journal, Eye published the most, and the United States produced the most articles of any country. Important keywords other than “ocular trauma” included “epidemiology”, “management”, “children”, “vitrectomy” and “endophthalmitis”. Conclusion: Complications due to ocular trauma are seen worldwide. Many different institutions, journals, and countries have published research on ocular trauma with an increased frequency in recent years. This study provides valuable information on the status of scholarly investigation of ocular trauma in the last 2 decades and sheds light on the trajectory of recent research interest.