A bibliometric analysis of systematic reviews and meta-analyses in ophthalmology, from 2000 to 2020

Objectives: To establish the scientometric landscape of systematic reviews
and meta-analyses (SRMAs) published in the field of ophthalmology over
time. Results: A total of 2,660 SRMAs were included, and the average
annual growth rate was 21.26%. China and the USA were the most productive
countries, while Singapore was the country with the highest average
citations per document. Wong TY was not only the most productive, but also
the most frequently cited author. The most productive affiliation was
National University of Singapore (n=236). SRMA output in most
subspecialties had steadily increased with retina/vitreous (n=986),
glaucoma (n=411) and cornea/external diseases (n=303) constantly as the
most dominant fields. Rates of pre-registration and guideline compliance
had dramatically increased over time, with 20.0% and 63.5% of SRMA being
pre-registered and reported guideline in 2020, respectively. However,
SRMAs published on ophthalmic journals tended to be less frequently
pre-registered and guideline complied than those on non-ophthalmic
journals (both P < 0.05). Conclusions: The annual output of SRMAs
has been rapidly increasing over the past two decades. China and the USA
were the most productive countries, whereas Singapore had the most
prolific and influential scholar and institution. Raising awareness and
implementation of SRMA pre-registration and guideline compliance is still
necessary to ensure quality, especially for ophthalmic journals.