GLOBAL RESEARCH TRENDS IN DRY EYE SYNDROME PREVALENCE: A 10-YEAR WEB OF SCIENCE – BASED BIBLIOMETRIC ANALYSIS

Background. Dry eye syndrome is one of the most common ocular surface diseases, affecting patients’ quality of life and posing a significant medical and social problem. Along with growing interest in the epidemiology of this condition, global analyses of scientific trends in dry eye syndrome prevalence remain understudied. Methods. The bibliometric analysis of this study was performed using the Web of Science database. The analytical search was conducted on 17 February 2026 by entering the keywords ‘Dry eye syndrome’ and ‘Prevalence’ in the title, abstract, and keywords fields. All types of publications were included in the analysis, with the only restriction being the period from 2016 to 2025. The dynamics of scientific activity, the contribution of countries, authors, scientific organisations, funding organisations, journals, document types, and keywords were evaluated. Descriptive statistics and trends were assessed using SPSS 27. Results. The analysis included 235 publications. There was a tendency toward increased publications, with scientific activity peaking in 2022 (31 publications). The countries that contributed the most were the United States (n = 38), South Korea (n = 26), and China (n = 25). The highest citation rates per publication were recorded in Germany (116.55), Canada (106.13), and Australia (97.17). The most active journals were Journal Francais D’Ophtalmologie (n = 9), BMC Ophthalmology (n = 8), and Cornea (n = 6). Conclusion. Bibliometric analysis has revealed a positive trend in publication activity in the field of dry eye syndrome prevalence, suggesting the growing clinical and scientific significance of this problem. In many countries and institutions, publication activity, highlighting the global nature of research in this field.