Quantifying the Bibliometric Impact of Published Research Associated with the IRIS Registry: A Comprehensive Analysis to Date

Purpose: To characterize trends in publications utilizing the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s Intelligent Research In Sight (IRIS) Registry. Methods: Data was collected for the IRIS Registry publications as of December 2022 listed on the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s website. Type of literature, subspecialty topic, and specific disease/procedure of interest were categorized by two independent researchers and discordance was resolved by a third researcher. The main outcome measures were article year of publication, journal, type of literature, subspecialty topic, specific disease or procedure of interest, and source of funding. Results: A total of 54 articles were included. The rate of publication increased over time; in 2015 and 2016, only two IRIS Registry publications were recorded, whereas in 2021 and 2022, 36 publications were recorded. Ophthalmology published 43% of the articles; American Journal of Ophthalmology, 17%; and Ophthalmology Science, 7%. JAMA Ophthalmology, Ophthalmology Retina, and Ophthalmology Glaucoma each published 6% of IRIS Registry articles. The most prevalent subspeciality topics were retina (35%), glaucoma (17%), and cataract (15%). Specific procedural treatments were the subject of 48% of the publications; disease epidemiology, of 17%; and specific medical treatments, of 13%. Most publications were original articles (82%). With regard to funding, 6% of publications reported funding solely from the IRIS grant, 41% obtained funding solely from other means, and 19% of publications obtained funding from a combination of the IRIS grant and other means. The most studied diseases among IRIS Registry publications were glaucoma (19%), age-related macular degeneration (9%), and cataract (7%). The two most studied treatments were anti–vascular endothelial growth factors (11%) and cataract surgery (11%). Conclusions: Since 2015, the IRIS Registry has proved an increasingly valuable font of data and support for original research in a range of subspecialties, leading to publication of insightful studies in prominent ophthalmology journals.