Bibliometric analysis of studies on the treatment of diabetic retinopathy

Objective The purpose of this study is to conduct a bibliometric analysis of the literature on the treatment of DR published between 2000 and 2024, in order to identify research trends and hotspots.Methods Descriptive statistical methods were applied to analyze the annual publication output, leading countries, institutions, and journals. VOSviewer and CiteSpace were employed to perform keyword co-occurrence analysis, detect burst keywords, and map co-citation networks.Results The annual publication volume showed an overall upward trend with some fluctuations around 2012. The USA, China, Japan were the leading countries. High-output institutions included the Johns Hopkins University, the Jaeb Center of Health Research. Retina-The Journal of Retinal and Vitreous Diseases published the highest number of related studies, while Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA emerged as the most influential journal. Visual analysis identified major research clusters including pharmacological advancements, molecular mechanisms, technology-driven therapies, technology-driven screening and discovery, as well as treatment, Real-world research and Laser therapy.Conclusion This bibliometric analysis provides a comprehensive overview of contemporary global research on DR treatment. It can help researchers grasp the field’s development trajectory, identify key hotspots and emerging frontiers, and provide references for future directions and collaboration strategies.