Global publication trends on sickle cell and diabetic retinopathy over eight decades: a highlight on information disparity: SCRnet consortium paper 1

Retinal vascular diseases pose significant challenges to ensuring global ocular health with consequent negative impacts on the well-being of individuals worldwide. This study explores the divergent research landscapes of Sickle Cell Retinopathy (SCR) and Diabetic Retinopathy (DR), two of the most common retinal vascular diseases, by comparing publication trends and assessing the relative research output on these two diseases across different countries. A comprehensive search of PubMed and Scopus databases was conducted to collect relevant publications. Annual publication trends of various countries were analysed, along with the extent of international collaboration in DR and SCR research. Additionally, the distribution of declared funding sources, types of documents, and publication languages was examined. DR garnered substantially more publications (69,761) compared with SCR (1059). Notably, research efforts on both diseases were spearheaded by high-income countries, particularly the United States (US), European Union (EU) Member countries, and the United Kingdom. Conversely, African and Caribbean nations exhibited lower contributions to SCR research. International collaborations were more prevalent in DR research, which also received more declared funding sources compared to SCR. Furthermore, DR research was disseminated across a wider array of journals than SCR research. Research articles and reviews constituted the primary document types for both diseases, with English being the predominant language of the publications. There are significant disparities in published research landscapes between SCR and DR, with the latter receiving far more attention. High-income countries, particularly the US and EU member countries, have played a pivotal role in driving research efforts for both conditions, while contributions from middle and low-income countries remain limited.