Objective: In this study, we aimed to evaluate the cytometric features of the retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in literature in the period of 1979-2019.
Materials and methods: This study utilized data from Thomson Reuters' Web of Science (WoS) database from 1979 to 2019, focusing on 'Retinopathy of Prematurity.' The research incorporated the VOS viewer tool for arranging bibliometric networks and figures. The data were divided and analyzed based on variables like time, country, authors, research institutes, and document types. Info maps and bibliometric infographics were created with Microsoft Excel and VOS-Viewer tools. Moreover, population data, GDP per capita, health expenditure, and ICU bed data were sourced from the World Bank and OECD Health Statistics.
Results: A total of 4080 publications in the period of 1979-2019 were scanned. Of all the evaluated publications, 2217 (54.33%) were original articles, 989 (24.24%) were meeting abstracts and 375 (9.19%) were letters, while the others were of the proceeding paper, editorial material, review, correction, book chapter types, respectively. The most widely used language was English with 3977 (97.47%) publications, while German was ranked second, followed by French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and Turkish. A total of 83 countries made 4080 publications on ROP. The United States was the country with the most publications - 1820 (44.6%), followed by the UK - 262 (6.42%), India -242 (5.93%), Turkey - 178 (4.36%), Canada -167 (4.09%), Germany -154 (3.77%), China-153 (3.75%), respectively.
Conclusions: ROP is a significant global health issue with socio-economic implications. Despite higher citation rates in developed countries, efforts should be aimed at reducing healthcare and publication disparities. Screening programs and health policies are crucial, particularly in developing countries
