Evolution and trends of high myopia research from 2002 to 2021: a scientometric analysis

Background: Research on high myopia has gradually formed a complex network of knowledge, but a panorama of evolutionary trends is lacking. By conducting a scientometric analysis, we can gain a deeper understanding of the development and evolution of this field. Methods: The global literature on high myopia published from 2002 to 2021 was extracted from the Science Citation Index Expanded in the Web of Science Core Collection. Microsoft Excel, VOSviewer, and CiteSpace were used to analyse and visualize the bibliometric data. Publication -related information, including countries, journals, authors, citations, subject categories, and its' time trends, was analysed. Results: A total of 4,226 included publications showed an annually increasing trend during the past 20 years. The high myopia research hotspots were refractive error correction, epidemiology, ocular biometry, drug and laser treatment of myopic fundus lesions, and surgical treatment of myopic fundus lesions. Cocitation analysis showed that high myopia genetics and myopic fundus lesion research were the research frontiers. A total of 116 disciplines were involved in high myopia research. Ophthalmology (n=3,338) was the most dominant subject category. Engineering (betweenness centrality =0.65) was the discipline with the most obvious bridge role. Science & technology-other topics (burst years: 2015-2021; strength =14.88) had the greatest strength as of 2021, which was the hottest subject category. Conclusions: High myopia genetics and myopic fundus lesion research showed a potential for breakthroughs. Medical -engineering cross -innovation is a cutting -edge technology trend.