Knowledge mapping of posterior capsular opacification from 2011 to 2023: A bibliometric analysis

This bibliometric analysis explores the current status and trends of global research on posterior capsular opacification (PCO). A search of the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) database was conducted to identify publications on PCO from 2011 to 2023. Bibliometric analysis was used to explore publication trends in PCO-related research. VOSviewer v.1.6.20 was used to visualize country, institution and author productivity and collaborations, as well as research hotspots. CiteSpace 6.3.R1 was applied to extract the burst references and keywords. A total of 988 PCO-related documents were included. The largest number of publications (283) and citations (3538) were from China. Of these, the largest number of publications (41) and citations (655) were from Wenzhou Medical University. Quankui Lin published 31 articles and was the most productive author. The journal with the highest productivity (121 publications) was the Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery. The top 3 cited references mainly presented intraocular lens (IOL) optic material/design and surgical technique on the development of PCO; the mechanism of PCO formation. The keywords mainly formed 5 clusters: the prevalence and risk factors for PCO; the mechanism of PCO formation; the material and design of IOLs and their application in the prevention of PCO; the application of IOLs surface modification and drug delivery in the prevention of PCO; and complications associated with Nd:YAG laser capsulotomy. Based on the raw data from WoSCC, analyzing research hotspots can offer valuable insights into PCO studies.