Evaluation of research productivity among academic neuro-ophthalmologists using the relative citation ratio

Bibliometric analyses within the field of neuro-ophthalmology are limited. The current study utilizes the relative citation ratio (RCR), a National Institutes of Health (NIH) sponsored index that separates measures of research impact and productivity into independent variables, to evaluate scholarly output within this cohort.

Fellowship-trained neuro-ophthalmologists at Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)-accredited institutions in the United States were indexed using the NIH iCite database. Publication count, mean RCR score (mRCR), and weighted RCR score (wRCR) were obtained between October 2023 and January 2024. Data were compared using univariate and multivariate ordinary least squares regression analyses, and chi-square tests were used to compare categorical variables.

The cohort included 256 neuro-ophthalmologists from 103 institutions. The majority were male (60.9%), ophthalmology trained (69.1%), and did not hold a PhD (88.3%). Median publication count was 26 (interquartile range [IQR], 8.25-84.50), median mRCR was 1.23 (IQR, 0.78-1.68), and median wRCR was 31.48 (IQR, 7.61-99.94). Professor rank was independently associated with significantly higher publication counts, mRCR, and weighted RCR. Completion of a neurology residency was independently associated with higher mean RCR but not publication count or weighted RCR. Gender was not independently associated with publication count, mRCR, or wRCR after multivariable adjustment. Female faculty were significantly underrepresented among professors despite greater representation within more recent residency cohorts.

Academic neuro-ophthalmologists demonstrate high levels of research productivity and impact, with a median mRCR exceeding the NIH benchmark value of 1.0. Academic rank was the strongest independent predictor of cumulative scholarly productivity and article level influence, while completion of a neurology residency was associated with higher average article influence but not greater overall scholarly output. Although research productivity was comparable after adjustment for career stage and academic rank, women remain underrepresented in senior academic positions. These findings establish benchmark RCR values for academic neuro-ophthalmology and provide a framework for future investigations of scholarly development and academic advancement.