The 100 top-cited articles in macular edema from 1950 to 2020

Systematically summarize the trend of research and the orientation of macular edema in recent decades by analyzing the characteristics of the 100 top-ranked articles.

The 100 most cited papers on macular edema published from January 1, 1950, to August 27, 2020, were reviewed by Web of Science (including the Scientific Citation Index). The each article is analyzed by extracting information such as the publication date, journal, author, country of origin, institution, number of citations, research topics, and research design types.

Among the 100 articles, the highest cited number was 1907, and the lowest cited number was 166. These articles were published in 18 journals from 1983 to 2016, as well as in 10 countries. The most published newspapers were Ophthalmology (n = 51). The countries were the USA (n = 66). Out of 100 articles, 12 institutions and 10 authors contributed over 3 articles. The emphasis of these studies was placed on clinical studies. The most prevalent design type was the randomized controlled trial (n = 42). The etiology on macular edema can be divided into diabetic (n = 68), retinal vein occlusion (n = 21), and other (n = 11), of which the most common research topic is the non-surgical treatment of macular edema (n = 65).

This study analyzed the research trends and progress of macular edema in the past 70 years, emphasizing the treatment of diabetic macular edema and the contribution of USA in the study of macular edema.