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Medical Resea ch Medi e J Med Res
Naha e al. Medi e J Med Res. 2025; 2(4): 239-258. Page 239
ORIGINAL RESEARCH a icle
Bibliome ic analysis o diabe ic e inopa hy esea ch using op ical cohe ence omog aphy
(2020-2025): A VOS iewe s udy
Nazmun Naha 1 , H i hik Chowdhu y 1 , I ah N. Madzuki 2 , P ojjal Das 1
Mohamad I. Jamaludin 3 , Kangkan Sha ma 1 , Rumpa Ghosh 1 , and Abul kalam Azad 4 *
1 Facul y o Pha maceu ical Sciences, Uni e si y o Science and Technology Chi agong, 4202 Chi agong, Bangladesh
2 Facul y o Chemical Enginee ing and Technology, Uni e si i Malaysia Pe lis, 02100 Pe lis, Malaysia
3 Facul y o Elec ical Enginee ing, Uni e si i Teknologi Malaysia, 81310, Joho , Malaysia
4 Facul y o Pha macy, Uni e si y College o MAIWP In e na ional, 68100 Kuala Lumpu , Malaysia
* Au ho o whom co espondence should be add essed
Recei ed: Oc obe 11, 2025, Accep ed: No embe 17, 2025, Published online: No embe 22, 2025
HOW TO CITE THIS
Naha e al. Bibliome ic analysis o diabe ic e inopa hy esea ch using op ical cohe ence omog aphy (2020-2025): A VOS iewe s udy.
Medi e J Med Res. 2025; 2(4): 239-258. [A icle numbe : 29]. h ps://doi.o g/10.5281/zenodo.17682969
Keywo ds: Bibliome ic analysis, diabe ic e inopa hy, co-au ho ship, co-ci a ion, VOS iewe
Abs ac : Diabe ic e inopa hy (DR) is a majo cause o ision loss, and Op ical Cohe ence Tomog aphy
(OCT) has become an essen ial imaging ool o i s diagnosis and managemen . Wi h he g owing olume o
OCT- ela ed DR esea ch, bibliome ic analysis o e s aluable insigh s in o global publica ion ends,
collabo a i e ne wo ks, and in luen ial con ibu o s. This s udy u ilizes VOS iewe o map and analyze co-
au ho ship pa e ns in DR-OCT esea ch om 2020 o 2025. A bibliome ic analysis was conduc ed using he
sea ch e ms "Diabe ic Re inopa hy AND Tomog aphy AND Op ical Cohe ence" ac oss six majo da abases:
Web o Science, Scopus, PubMed, Dimensions, Lens.o g, and Google Schola , on Ap il 14, 2025, co e ing
publica ions om 2020 o 2025. English-language a icles and e iew a icles we e included. Bibliog aphic
da a we e expo ed in CSV o ma and analyzed using VOS iewe ( 1.6.10) o gene a e isual maps o co-
au ho ship, keywo d co-occu ence, ci a ion, co-ci a ion, and bibliog aphic coupling ne wo ks, applying link
and o al link s eng h a ibu es. A o al o 1,794 documen s we e e ie ed om Web o Science, 743 om
Scopus, and 2,685 om PubMed, wi h addi ional eco ds om Dimensions, Lens.o g, and Google Schola .
Co-au ho ship analysis e ealed s ong collabo a i e ne wo ks, wi h key con ibu o s including Bandello F.,
Si ap asad S, and Sadda SR, as well as ins i u ions such as Sun Ya -sen Uni e si y, which led in publica ion
ou pu . Ci a ion and co-ci a ion maps iden i ied in luen ial au ho s, jou nals (e.g., Oph halmology, JAMA
Oph halmology), and highly ci ed wo ks, while bibliog aphic coupling highligh ed hema ic simila i ies ac oss
documen s and coun ies. Keywo d co-occu ence analysis e ealed esea ch ends cen e ed on imaging
echnologies, a i icial in elligence, and diabe ic macula edema, e lec ing he e ol ing p io i ies in diabe ic
e inopa hy esea ch u ilizing OCT. This analysis highligh s key au ho s, esea ch clus e s, and in e na ional
collabo a ions d i ing ad ancemen s in DR esea ch using OCT. The indings p o ide a comp ehensi e
o e iew o he cu en esea ch landscape guiding u u e s udies, collabo a ions, and policy decisions in he
ield o diabe ic eye ca e.
In oduc ion
Diabe es melli us (DM) has diabe ic e inopa hy (DR) as one o i s mos equen mic o ascula consequences.
The leading cause o p e en able blindness among wo king-age adul s wo ldwide is pa icula ly p e alen
among indi iduals be ween 20 and 70 yea s o age. A ecen me a-analysis p ojec ed ha abou 103 million
Copy igh © 2025. This open-access a icle is dis ibu ed unde he C ea i e Commons A ibu ion License, which
pe mi s un es ic ed use, dis ibu ion, and ep oduc ion in any medium, p o ided he o iginal wo k is p ope ly ci ed.
Medi e anean Jou nal o ISSN: 2789-1895 h ps://m j.o g.ly
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indi iduals wo ldwide a e cu en ly li ing wi h DM, and his igu e is expec ed o inc ease o 161 million by
2045, signi ican ly. In he Wes e n Paci ic, he Middle Eas , No h A ica, and Sub-Saha an A ica, middle o
low-income egions a e wi nessing a disp opo iona ely highe a e o weigh gain, wi h p ojec ed inc eases
o 20.6% o 47.2% p edic ed o 2030 [1-3]. Diabe ic e inopa hy is one o he mos common mic o ascula
complica ions o DM, and i emains he p ima y cause o p e en able blindness among wo king-age adul s
wo ldwide, speci ically in indi iduals aged 20 o 70 yea s [4]. I is es ima ed ha abou 103 million people
globally a e p esen ly li ing wi h DR, and his igu e is p edic ed o signi ican ly inc ease o 161 million by
2045. Disp opo iona ely, he bu den is escala ing in low- and middle-income a eas, such as he Wes e n
Paci ic, he Middle Eas , No h A ica, and Sub-Saha an A ica, wi h p ojec ed inc eases in p e alence a es
o 20.6% o 47.2% by 2030 [5]. DR con ibu es signi ican ly o isual disabili y. I is es ima ed ha nea ly 30
million indi iduals su e om ision- h ea ening diabe ic e inopa hy (VTDR), which poses a subs an ial
public heal h and socioeconomic bu den. The global p e alence o DR- ela ed blindness has inc eased by
abou 19% o e he pas wo decades. In 2010, DR was esponsible o 2.6% o all cases o blindness and
1.9% o mode a e- o-se e e isual impai men (MSVI), a no able inc ease om 2.1% and 1.3%, espec i ely,
in 1990. The di ec heal hca e cos s associa ed wi h DR a e conside able; in he Uni ed S a es alone, hese
we e es ima ed o be $493 million annually as ea ly as 2004. This g owing bu den unde sco es he u gen need
o imp o ed unde s anding, su eillance, and managemen s a egies [6].
The ea ly diagnosis and moni o ing o DR ha e g ea ly imp o ed wi h ad ancemen s in ocula imaging,
no ably op ical cohe ence omog aphy (OCT). OCT p o ides non-in asi e, high- esolu ion, c oss-sec ional
imaging o he e ina, making i a c ucial ins umen in con empo a y oph halmology. Al hough a subs an ial
amoun o esea ch has been conduc ed ha combines DR, omog aphy, and OCT, o da e, no comp ehensi e
bibliome ic analysis has been unde aken o sys ema ically assess global esea ch pa e ns, key publica ions,
and eme ging a eas o ocus in his ield o o e lap [7]. The ea ly diagnosis and moni o ing o DR ha e g ea ly
imp o ed wi h ad ancemen s in ocula imaging, no ably OCT [8]. OCT p o ides non-in asi e, high-
esolu ion, c oss-sec ional imaging o he e ina, making i a c ucial ins umen in con empo a y
oph halmology. Al hough a subs an ial amoun o esea ch has been conduc ed ha combines DR,
omog aphy, and OCT, o da e, no comp ehensi e bibliome ic analysis has been unde aken o sys ema ically
assess global esea ch pa e ns, key publica ions, and eme ging a eas o ocus in his ield o o e lap. A
quan i a i e me hod known as bibliome ic analysis e alua es he scien i ic ou pu o esea ch ields using
s a is ical and ne wo k-based app oaches. This ool acili a es he iden i ica ion o publica ion ends, no able
au ho s and ins i u ions, egions o high esea ch in ensi y, and in e connec ed esea ch communi ies [9]. The
Web o Science (WoS) Co e Collec ion o e s a comp ehensi e pla o m o e ie ing ele an pee - e iewed
publica ions and enables da a expo a ion o u he p ocessing using specialized ools such as VOS iewe .
VOS iewe enables a de ailed isual examina ion o co-au ho ship ela ionships, keywo d co-occu ence,
ci a ion pa e ns, co-ci a ion ne wo ks, and hema ic clus e s. This s udy sough o add ess he lack o a
comp ehensi e bibliome ic e iew by sys ema ically examining he scien i ic li e a u e on Diabe ic
Re inopa hy, Tomog aphy, and Op ical Cohe ence in he con ex o DR esea ch, whe e imaging modali ies
a e inc easingly signi ican . We p o ide insigh s in o publica ion ends, esea ch collabo a ions, and eme ging
di ec ions in he ield, using da a om WoS be ween 2020 and 2025 and analyzed wi h VOS iewe e sion
1.6.10. This s udy no only illus a es p e ailing esea ch ends bu also in o ms u u e s a egies o clinical
inno a ion and policy de elopmen in DR imaging and diagnosis.
Ma e ials and me hods
Da a sou ces and sea ch s a egy: A bibliome ic analysis was ca ied ou using he sea ch que y Diabe ic
Re inopa hy AND Tomog aphy AND Op ical Cohe ence o examine global esea ch ends om 2020 o
2025. The sea ch was ca ied ou on 14 Ap il 2025. Rele an bibliog aphic in o ma ion, such as publica ion
yea , language, jou nal i le, au ho s, a ilia ions, keywo ds, documen ype, and abs ac s, was ex ac ed and
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expo ed in a CSV ile o ma , along wi h he co esponding ci a ion coun s. The li e a u e was sou ced om
se e al us wo hy da abases, namely he Web o Science Co e Collec ion, Scopus, PubMed, Dimensions.ai,
Lens.o g, and Google Schola . The inal analysis only included il e s o documen ypes (e.g., a icles and
e iew a icles) and English-language publica ions. A o al o 1,794 documen s we e e ie ed om Web o
Science, consis ing o 1,463 o iginal esea ch a icles and 222 e iew a icles. Scopus yielded 743 e iew
a icles as he sea ch conduc ed by a use a ilia ed wi h Uni e si i Teknologi Malaysia (Figu e 1).
Figu e 1: Da a ex ac ion and p ocessing om (A) Scopus and (B) Web o Science
PubMed p oduced 2,685 esul s, wi h a ocus on impac ul a icles ela ing o op ical cohe ence omog aphy
angiog aphy in diabe ic e inopa hy (Figu e 2). Dimensions, on he o he hand, p o ided esul s il e ed by
yea , esea che , and ca ego y, showcasing key esea ch a eas such as biomedical sciences and oph halmology.
The sea ch by Lens.o g yielded 2,771 esul s, comp ising simple amilies (1,312), ex ended amilies (1,201),
pa en ci a ions (1,942), pa ien ci a ions (1,126), and o al pa ien ci a ions (5,131). A sea ch on Google
Schola ound 174,000 ele an publica ions. Due o he absence o expo able s uc u ed me ada a, he esul s
comp ised duplica es and g ey li e a u e, and we e no applied o de ailed bibliome ic analysis (Figu e 3).
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Figu e 2: Da a ex ac ion and p ocessing om A: PubMed and B: Lens
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Figu e 3: Da a ex ac ion and p ocessing om A: Google Schola and B: dimensions
Bibliome ic and isualiza ion analysis: The da ase was examined wi h VOS iewe ( e sion 1.6.10), a
p og am speci ically designed o c ea ing and illus a ing bibliome ic maps. Analyses o he ollowing ypes
we e conduc ed: co-au ho ship analyses o cha collabo a ion pa e ns among au ho s and ins i u ions, and
co-occu ence analyses o keywo ds o pinpoin esea ch ho spo s and hema ic clus e s. Analysis o ci a ions
o de e mine he mos in luen ial publica ions. Publica ions we e analyzed using bibliog aphic coupling o
iden i y hema ic simila i y based on common e e ence poin s. Co-ci a ion analysis was applied o de ec
equen ly ci ed pai s o documen s. Thema ic analysis o illus a e he de elopmen o esea ch a eas o e
ime. Two s anda d weigh a ibu es we e employed in ne wo k analysis: he Links A ibu e, which deno es
he quan i y o co-au ho ships, co-occu ences, o co-ci a ions be ween i ems. The o al link s eng h a ibu e
signi ies he o e all magni ude o hese connec ions. All ne wo k maps we e gene a ed using he de aul
VOS iewe se ings, wi h clus e s au oma ically colo ed o emphasize hei ela ed hemes.
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Resul s
Dimension (co-au ho ship): Th ee ne wo k isualiza ions o co-au ho ship analysis using VOS iewe ,
ca ego ized by di e en le els o collabo a ion.
Co-au ho ship (au ho s): This ne wo k shows indi idual esea che s connec ed by co-au ho ship links.
Clus e s o nodes ep esen g oups o au ho s who equen ly collabo a e such as Wang, Wei and Chhablani,
Jay. Colo s deno e di e en esea ch g oups o clus e s, and he size o each node e lec s he numbe o
publica ions o he s eng h o collabo a ions (Figu e 4A).
Co-au ho ship (o ganiza ions): G aph isualizes collabo a ion among ins i u ions. Each node ep esen s a
uni e si y o esea ch o ganiza ion, wi h links indica ing join publica ions. La ge nodes, sculling as Sun Ya -
Sen Uni e si y, I cs Ospedale San Ra aele, Uni e si y o Illinois a Chicago, signi y highe publica ion
olume o collabo a ion equency. Dis inc clus e s show ins i u ional pa ne ships, o en wi hin egions o
coun ies (Figu e 4B).
Co-au ho ship (coun ies): The map displays in e na ional collabo a ion in scien i ic esea ch. Coun ies a e
nodes, wi h he size indica ing publica ion ou pu o in e na ional collabo a ion s eng h. The Uni ed S a es,
China, Sou h Ko ea, Aus alia, and Tu key a e cen al hubs, indica ing ex ensi e global esea ch collabo a ion.
The colo ed lines show co-au ho ship links, and colo clus e s ep esen egional o hema ic alliances.
O e all, he igu e highligh s how scien i ic collabo a ion spans indi idual, ins i u ional, and na ional le els,
e ealing key con ibu o s and ne wo ks in a speci ic esea ch domain (Figu e 4C).
Figu e 4: Dimension (co-au ho ship) ne wo k isualiza ion A: au ho s, B: o ganiza ions, C: coun ies
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Ci a ion (sou ces): This map shows jou nals o publica ion sou ces and how o en hey ci e o a e ci ed by
o he s. La ge nodes ep esen mo e highly ci ed jou nals such as Pho odiagnosis and Pho odynamic The apy,
Re ina, Scien i ic Repo s, eye, Diagnos ics, and In e na ional Oph halmology. Clus e s g oup jou nals by
subjec a eas o sha ed ci a ion pa e ns, highligh ing ields wi h dense ci a ion in e connec i i y (Figu e 5B).
Ci a ion (au ho s): Au ho s a e linked he e based on how o en hey a e ci ed by o he s. La ge nodes indica e
highly ci ed au ho s, and clus e s show g oups o esea che s wo king in simila a eas o ci ing each o he
equen ly. This iew iden i ies he mos in luen ial esea che s in a ield as Ga g, I ika; Wang, Wei;
Chhablani, Jay; Jia, Yali (Figu e 5C).
Ci a ion (o ganiza ions): Ins i u ions (e.g., uni e si ies, esea ch cen e s) a e shown wi h ci a ion links
be ween hem. Cen al ins i u ions wi h la ge nodes, such as Sun Ya -sen, Uni e si y Medical Uni e si y o
Vienna, Uni e si y o Tu in, and IRCCS Ospedale San Ra aele, a e ci ed mo e equen ly, indica ing
academic impac . Clus e s sugges collabo a i e o disciplina y p oximi y (Figu e 5D).
Ci a ion (coun ies): This ne wo k illus a es how coun ies ci e each o he ’s esea ch. Nodes ep esen
coun ies, and edges show ci a ion lows. China, he Uni ed S a es, I aly, Uni ed Kingdom appea cen al,
indica ing hei dominan oles in global esea ch in luence. Clus e s o en co espond o egional o linguis ic
g oupings (Figu e 5E).
Bibliog aphic coupling (ne wo k isualiza ion): This igu e p esen s i e bibliog aphic coupling ne wo k
maps gene a ed by VOS iewe , each illus a ing how esea ch en i ies a e ela ed based on sha ed e e ences.
Bibliog aphic coupling occu s when wo i ems ci e one o mo e documen s in common. The dense and mo e
cen al a node, he s onge i s bibliog aphic connec ions. O e all, his igu e cap u es he s uc u e o schola ly
communica ion h ough sha ed e e ences, highligh ing in ellec ual linkages among documen s, au ho s,
jou nals, ins i u ions, and coun ies (Figu e 6).
Bibliog aphic coupling (documen s): This map displays indi idual documen s (pape s) ha sha e common
e e ences. Nodes ep esen concep ual simila i ies be ween documen s based on sha ed e e ences Zhou
2023, Tan 2023, Islam 2022, You 2022, Gao 2022b, Tang 2023, Sampson 2022, Sheng 2022 speci ic
publica ions, and hei connec ions indica e sha ed ci a ions. Clus e s (colo -coded) show g oups o pape s
ha a e hema ically o opically ela ed (Figu e 6A).
Bibliog aphic coupling (sou ces): This ne wo k illus a es coupling be ween jou nals o publica ion sou ces.
Each node o Re ina, In es iga i e Oph halmology, Re ina, T ansla ional ision Science, Scien i ic epo s is
a sou ce (e.g., jou nal), and lines indica e sha ed e e ence pa e ns ac oss sou ces. Jou nals wi h simila
hema ic con en end o clus e oge he (Figu e 6B).
Bibliog aphic coupling (au ho s): Au ho s wi h la ge nodes such as Tan 2023, Tang 2023, Zhou 2023, You
2022, Sampson 2022, Sheng 2022, Islam 2022 obse ed in his g aph, a e connec ed based on sha ed
bibliog aphic e e ences. Au ho s wi h simila esea ch in e es s o ci a ion pa e ns o m clus e s. This map
helps iden i y in luen ial esea che s wo king in ela ed a eas (Figu e 6C).
Bibliog aphic coupling (o ganiza ions): Figu e 6D shows he ela ionships be ween esea ch ins i u ions,
whe eas a la ge node is obse ed in Medical Uni e si y o Vienna, he Uni e si y o Cali o nia, Sun Ya -Sen
Uni e si y, Shanghai Jiao Tong Uni e si yal, Wenzhou Medical Uni e si y, Chinese Uni e si y o Hongkong,
he Uni e si y o To on o, and Duke Uni e si y. Ins i u ions ha publish wo k ci ing simila e e ences appea
mo e closely connec ed. The clus e s e lec collabo a i e o hema ic p oximi y be ween ins i u ions.
Bibliog aphic coupling (coun ies): Figu e 6E, he e, coun ies a e linked based on he bibliog aphic coupling
o he documen s hey p oduce. Coun ies ha con ibu e publica ions ci ing simila sou ces a e mo e igh ly
connec ed. Majo publishing coun ies like he US, China, he UK, Tu key, I aly, and Aus alia appea cen al
in he ne wo k, indica ing hei in luence and widesp ead engagemen wi h sha ed scien i ic li e a u e.
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Figu e 5: Dimension ci a ion ne wo k isualiza ion A: documen s, B: sou ces, C: au ho s, D: o ganiza ions,
and E: coun ies
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Figu e 6: Dimension bibliog aphic coupling A: documen , B: sou ces, C: au ho s, D: o ganiza ions, and E: coun ies
Dimension co-ci a ion (ne wo k isualiza ion): The isual shows wo main clus e s: A dense ed clus e o
in e connec ed au ho s and a g een clus e ea u ing a ew dominan au ho s wi h ex ensi e ci a ion links o
he co e g oup. These au ho s a e likely pionee s o key con ibu o s o ad ances in op ical cohe ence
omog aphy and diabe ic e inopa hy esea ch. Toge he , he h ee co-ci a ion analyses e eal: The
ounda ional e e ences and jou nals unde pinning he ield. The s uc u e o schola ly communica ion.
In luen ial esea che s and in ellec ual clus e s a e d i ing cu en knowledge and inno a ion. The igu e
p esen s h ee isualiza ions gene a ed by VOS iewe o co-ci a ion analysis in he esea ch domain o
diabe ic e inopa hy, omog aphy, and op ical cohe ence. Each sub igu e ep esen s a di e en uni o co-
ci a ion: (Figu e 7).
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Scopus
Co-au ho ship ne wo k isualiza ion: Figu e 12 shows indi idual esea che s collabo a ing h ough co-
au ho ed academic publica ions, likely wi hin a speci ic scien i ic ield (such as oph halmology o ision
esea ch). Nodes (Ci cles): Each node ep esen s a single au ho . The size o a node e lec s he numbe o
publica ions o collabo a ions. La ge nodes indica e mo e p oli ic o mo e connec ed au ho s. Edges (Lines):
Lines be ween nodes indica e co-au ho ship ela ionships. The mo e equen he collabo a ions, he s onge
o mo e p ominen he connec ion. Colo s (Clus e s): Di e en colo s signi y collabo a i e clus e s o
communi ies, ypically ep esen ing g oups o esea che s wo king closely oge he (e.g., labs, ins i u ions, o
hema ic eams). Au ho s in he same colo clus e a e mo e in e connec ed. Cen al Au ho s: Bandello,
F ancesco, Bo elli, En ico, and Pa a ano, Ma iac is ina appea p ominen ly in he cen e , wi h many
connec ions, sugges ing hey a e key hubs in he co-au ho ship ne wo k. O he cen al igu es include
Chhablani, Jay, Wong, Tien Yin, and Si ap asad, Sobha all appea o b idge mul iple collabo a i e
communi ies. Dis inc Clus e s: The yellow clus e on he a igh (e.g., Mu akami, Tomoaki, and Yoshimu a,
Nagahisa) appea s mo e isola ed, possibly indica ing a geog aphically o ins i u ionally ocused g oup wi h
limi ed ex e nal collabo a ion. The g een and blue clus e s on he le show in e connec ed collabo a ion, likely
wi hin la ge esea ch eams o mul i-ins i u ion conso ia. C oss-clus e links: Many au ho s ha e ies ac oss
di e en clus e s, indica ing in e disciplina y collabo a ion o sha ed p ojec s be ween dis inc esea ch eams.
Figu e 12: SCOPUS (co-au ho ship) ne wo k isualiza ion
Google Schola
Co-au ho ship ne wo k isualiza ion: He e’s a b eakdown o wha is obse ed in Figu e 13: Ti le: Co-
au ho ship (au ho s) indica ing he ne wo k maps academic o esea ch collabo a ions based on co-au ho ed
wo ks. Nodes (Do s): Each do ep esen s an **indi idual au ho . Edges (Lines): Lines be ween au ho s
indica e co-au ho ship; he hicke he line, he s onge o mo e equen he collabo a ion. Clus e s (Colo s):
Blue clus e (le ): Includes au ho s like Bandello F ancesco, Bo elli En ico, and Ba is a Ma co. This g oup
shows s ong in e nal collabo a ion. G een clus e (cen e ): A igh ly kni g oup a ound Nadin F ancesco,
Bo ghe i Fede ico, Cha zi I ini, and Ama o Alessia, among o he s. Red clus e ( igh ): Ano he g oup cen e ed
a ound Cicinelli Ma ia Vi o ia wi h co-au ho s like Bales a Es e ania, G assi Ma ia Oli a, and Alessio
Gio anni. Bandello F ancesco appea s o be a cen al connec ing igu e be ween he blue and g een Clus e s.
Cicinelli Ma ia Vi o ia plays a cen al ole in he ed clus e . The e a e ewe connec ions be ween he ed
and blue clus e s, implying limi ed collabo a ion ac oss hese g oups. The ne wo k likely e lec s collabo a ion
pa e ns wi hin a speci ic esea ch a ea o ins i u ion.
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Figu e 13: Google Schola co-au ho ship ne wo k isualiza ion
Web o Science coau ho ship ne wo k: Visualiza ion co-au ho ship ne wo k de i ed om scien i ic
publica ions. Each node (ci cle) ep esen s an au ho , and edges (lines) be ween hem indica e co-au ho ship
on one o mo e pape s. The colo -coded clus e s e lec g oups o au ho s who equen ly collabo a e wi h
each o he . Red Clus e ( igh ): A igh ly connec ed ne wo k o esea che s including Ga g, I ika, Mille , Joan
W., Cui, Ying, and Husain, Deebaka. This g oup is indica i e o a s ong collabo a i e esea ch eam. Blue
Clus e (cen e - igh ): Led by Bandello, F ancesco and Sacconi, Ricca do, showing a mode a ely dense
collabo a i e g oup. G een Clus e (cen e ): Cen e ed a ound Cunha-Vaz, Jose and Sadda, S ini as R.,
b idging be ween mul iple o he g oups. Yellow Clus e (le -cen e ): Includes Si ap asad, Sobha and
Schme e e , Leopold, sugges ing ano he co e collabo a ion hub. Ligh Blue Clus e ( a le ): Isola ed
collabo a ion ci cle a ound D exle , Wol gang. Pu ple Clus e (bo om cen e ): A small bu closely connec ed
g oup wi h Jia, Yali and Guo, Yukun. B own Clus e (bo om igh ): Lan, Yuqing, shows limi ed connec i i y,
indica ing ei he eme ging collabo a ion o independen esea ch. B idging au ho : Sadda, S ini as R. appea s
o be a b idge be ween se e al majo clus e s, playing a cen al ole in collabo a i e links ac oss g oups.
Za anz-Ven u a, Ja ie , and Vujoše ić, S ela also connec mul iple clus e s (Figu e 14).
Figu e 14: Google Schola co-au ho ship ne wo k isualiza ion
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Discussion
Diabe ic e inopa hy emains a leading cause o ision loss and blindness among he wo king-age popula ion,
s emming om he widesp ead global bu den o DM. Acco ding o he Ame ican Academy o Oph halmology,
93 million people globally su e om DR, and his numbe is p ojec ed o inc ease signi ican ly in pa allel
wi h ising diabe es p e alence, es ima ed o each 592 million by 2035 [1]. DR a ec s abou 77.3% o
indi iduals wi h ype 1 diabe es and 25.1% o hose wi h ype 2 diabe es, wi h a conside able p opo ion a
isk o de eloping ision- h ea ening complica ions such as diabe ic macula edema. Clinically, hese
complica ions o en equi e lase he apy o i ec omy in ad anced s ages, emphasizing he impo ance o
ea ly de ec ion and in e en ion [10].
Recen ad ances in op ical cohe ence omog aphy angiog aphy (OCTA) ha e ans o med he ea ly diagnosis
and moni o ing o DR. Resea ch shows ha e en diabe ic pa ien s wi hou clinically e iden DR exhibi ea ly
mo phological and pe usional changes in he e inal mic o ascula u e, pa icula ly a ound he pe ipapilla y
egion. OCTA e eals sub le bu c i ical changes in essel densi y and ne e ibe laye hickness be o e
clinical symp oms mani es . Pa ien s wi h mic o-albuminu ia, o ins ance, al eady show signs o impai ed
e inal ci cula ion de ec able by OCTA, o e ing po en ial o ea ly iden i ica ion and managemen o
mic o ascula damage. This bibliome ic analysis o e s a mul idimensional unde s anding o global esea ch
dynamics in DR, omog aphy, and OCT echnologies om 2020 o 2025. By employing VOS iewe ac oss
i e majo da abases-Web o Science, Scopus, PubMed, Google Schola , and Lens we iden i ied key ends,
in luen ial con ibu o s, collabo a i e ne wo ks, and hema ic e olu ions in his domain [11].
Clinical in eg a ion and echnological ends: Since i s clinical in oduc ion in 2014, OCTA has played an
inc easingly pi o al ole in DR esea ch and pa ien ca e. Spec al-domain OCTA (SD-OCTA) and Swep -
sou ce OCTA (SS-OCTA) ha e become co e diagnos ic ools, wi h SS-OCTA p o iding supe io scanning
speed, deepe issue pene a ion, and b oade scanning a eas due o i s use o longe wa eleng hs and highe
lase powe . These inno a ions allow clinicians and esea che s o de ec sub le e inal changes ha a e
unde ec able by adi ional undoscopy o e en luo escein angiog aphy. S anda dized OCTA segmen a ion
in o supe icial, deep, ou e e inal, and cho iocapilla is laye s enables a mo e de ailed analysis o disease
p og ession. While ul a-wide- ield OCTA o e s expansi e imaging, i s cu en limi a ions in clinical se ings
include longe acquisi ion imes and sensi i i y o mo ion a i ac s [4].
Global esea ch collabo a ion pa e ns: Co-au ho ship ne wo k analyses e eal a obus and in e na ionally
in eg a ed esea ch communi y. P ominen igu es such as F ancesco Bandello, Sobha Si ap asad, and En ico
Bo elli eme ge as cen al esea che s in au ho collabo a ion ne wo ks. Ins i u ions like Sun Ya -sen
Uni e si y (Figu e 5D), Moo ields Eye Hospi al, and he Vision Resea ch Founda ion a e equen ly engaged
in mul i-au ho , mul ina ional s udies. The Uni ed S a es and China domina e na ional collabo a ion ne wo ks,
which mi o s hei s a us as coun ies wi h he highes diabe es bu den [4] (Figu e 5E). No ably, hese wo
na ions con ibu e a signi ican sha e o global DR- ela ed publica ions, and his is u he suppo ed by
ci a ion cen ali y seen in he ins i u ional ne wo ks, especially hose a ilia ed wi h Sun Ya -sen Uni e si y.
Ci a ion and impac ul esea ch: Ci a ion analysis highligh s he cen ali y o high-impac jou nals such as
Oph halmology, Scien i ic Repo s, and In es iga i e Oph halmology and Visual Science in dissemina ing
cu ing-edge esea ch. Highly ci ed documen s by Zhou [12] and (Figu e 5A), and e lec eme gen hemes in
OCTA imaging, deep lea ning, and non-in asi e diagnos ics. The p ominence o au ho s like Bandello and
Si ap asad in ci a ion ne wo ks u he con i ms hei in luence in shaping esea ch p io i ies. A he
ins i u ional le el, equen ci a ions o Sun Ya -sen Uni e si y unde sco e i s subs an ial con ibu ions o high-
impac esea ch in DR diagnos ics [12].
In ellec ual ounda ions and bibliog aphic connec ions: Co-ci a ion and bibliog aphic coupling ne wo ks
e eal he unde lying s uc u e o he esea ch landscape [13]. Founda ional li e a u e o en clus e s a ound
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clinical ials, imaging inno a ions, and me hodological ad ances. Jou nals such as The Lance , JAMA
Oph halmology, and Ame ican Jou nal o Oph halmology a e equen ly co-ci ed, indica ing hei ole in
o ming he knowledge base o he ield. Bibliog aphic coupling u he indica es ha clus e s o au ho s and
ins i u ions sha e common li e a u e, sugges ing hema ic alignmen in esea ch ocused on imaging
modali ies, segmen a ion algo i hms, and DR bioma ke s (Figu e 7B).
Thema ic e olu ion and esea ch p io i ies: Keywo d co-occu ence analysis p o ides insigh in o p e ailing
and eme ging esea ch hemes [14]. F equen ly co-occu ing e ms include diabe ic e inopa hy, op ical
cohe ence omog aphy, deep lea ning, diabe ic macula edema, and segmen a ion, e lec ing s ong in e es s
in AI in eg a ion, ea ly-s age diagnos ics, and image-based classi ica ion. The dominance o demog aphic
keywo ds like humans, male, emale, and aged poin s o con inued in e es in popula ion-based and
epidemiological s udies. PubMed's MeSH-based ne wo ks show clinical ele ance, while au ho keywo ds
om Scopus and Google Schola emphasize echnology-d i en app oaches, including machine lea ning,
ascula densi y, and bioma ke s (Figu e 8B).
Da abase-speci ic insigh s: Compa a i e analysis ac oss da abases e eals consis en pa e ns wi h sub le
dis inc ions. PubMed emphasizes clinical e ms and indexing p ecision ia MeSH headings [15] (Figu e 10A).
Scopus and Google Schola ne wo ks e eal b oade au ho -le el collabo a ions, including con ibu ions om
eme ging egions. The Lens da abase o e s a ansla ional iew, linking academic esea ch wi h inno a ion
and pa en da a (Figu e 11A). These indings unde sco e he impo ance o in eg a ing mul iple bibliog aphic
sou ces o a comp ehensi e bibliome ic pe spec i e.
Implica ions and u u e pe spec i es: This s udy highligh s ha global esea ch on diabe ic e inopa hy is no
only expanding apidly bu also becoming mo e in e disciplina y and echnologically ad anced. Imaging
echniques, pa icula ly OCTA, ha e become cen al o esea ch and clinical p ac ice, enabling he de ec ion
o p eclinical mic o ascula and neu odegene a i e changes. The in eg a ion o AI and machine lea ning in o
DR diagnos ics is ano he key di ec ion, aiming o enhance p edic ion, g ading, and ea men ou comes.
Howe e , he cu en bibliome ic ends also e eal unde ep esen a ion in a eas such as long- e m ea men
ou comes, neu o ascula mechanisms, and eal-wo ld popula ion-speci ic da a. Fu u e esea ch should add ess
hese gaps, wi h g ea e emphasis on ansla ional s udies, cos -e ec i e diagnos ic ools, and he inclusion o
unde se ed popula ions in esea ch and clinical p ac ice. Fu he bibliome ic s udies may explo e he oles
o unding sou ces, policy amewo ks, and open-access dissemina ion in shaping global DR esea ch. In
summa y, bibliome ic mapping is an essen ial app oach o unde s anding how scien i ic knowledge e ol es,
who he majo con ibu o s a e, and whe e u u e esea ch can be e ec i ely di ec ed wi hin he dynamic and
g owing ield o diabe ic e inopa hy and imaging echnologies.
Conclusion: This bibliome ic analysis p o ides a comp ehensi e o e iew o he global esea ch landscape
on diabe ic e inopa hy and op ical cohe ence omog aphy om 2020 o 2025. Th ough co-au ho ship, ci a ion,
co-ci a ion, bibliog aphic coupling, and keywo d co-occu ence ne wo ks, his s udy highligh s he mos
in luen ial con ibu o s, eme ging esea ch hemes, and s uc u al pa e ns o collabo a ion in he ield. The
ne wo k isualiza ions clea ly iden i y p oli ic au ho s, leading ins i u ions, and dominan coun ies
pa icula ly he Uni ed S a es and China as key playe s d i ing inno a ion and publica ion ou pu .
Clus e s o closely connec ed esea che s and o ganiza ions e eal how scien i ic communi ies a e o med,
while a eas o limi ed collabo a ion sugges oppo uni ies o s eng hening c oss-disciplina y and
in e na ional pa ne ships. By mapping hese ela ionships and in ellec ual ounda ions, his analysis se es as
a aluable ool o academic ne wo king, s a egic esea ch planning, and iden i ying collabo a ion
oppo uni ies. I no aids schola s and ins i u ions in loca ing po en ial pa ne s bu also suppo s policymake s
and unding bodies in making in o med decisions o p omo e impac ul and collabo a i e science.
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Au ho con ibu ion: NN & AKZ concei ed and designed he s udy. NN & MIJ collec ed da a. NN pe o med da a analysis
and da a in e p e a ion. All au ho s con ibu ed o da a analysis and d a ed he manusc ip / e ised i o impo an in ellec ual
con ex . All he au ho s app o ed he inal e sion o he manusc ip and ag eed o be accoun able o i s con en s.
Con lic o in e es : The au ho s decla e he absence o any comme cial o inancial ela ionships ha could be cons ued as a
po en ial con lic o in e es .
E hical issues: The au ho s comple ely obse ed e hical issues, including plagia ism, in o med consen , da a ab ica ion o
alsi ica ion, and double publica ion o submission.
Da a a ailabili y s a emen : The aw da a ha suppo he indings o his a icle a e a ailable om he co esponding au ho
upon easonable eques .
Au ho decla a ions: The au ho s con i m ha hey ha e ollowed all ele an e hical guidelines and ob ained any necessa y
IRB and/o e hics commi ee app o als.
Gene a i e AI disclosu e: No gene a i e AI was used in he p epa a ion o his manusc ip .
