Summary
Ophthalmology and optometry constitute complementary disciplines dedicated to the preservation and optimisation of vision. Ophthalmology is the medical and surgical speciality concerned with the anatomy, physiology and pathology of the eye and its adnexa, ranging from corneal disease and cataract to retinal disorders, glaucoma and neuro-ophthalmic conditions. Optometry focuses on the assessment of visual function, the detection and management of refractive and binocular anomalies, and the provision of corrective devices. Both professions increasingly harness high-resolution imaging—such as optical coherence tomography and wide-field photography—together with artificial intelligence for automated screening and prognosis. Emerging therapies, including gene and cell transplantation, promise novel treatments for inherited retinal dystrophies. Concurrently, telemedicine and portable diagnostic platforms are broadening access to care in underserved settings. Efforts to reduce uncorrected refractive error and cataract blindness remain central to global eye-health initiatives, underscoring the intersection of basic research, clinical innovation and public-health strategy.
Research from Nature Portfolio
Recent work has refined polarisation-sensitive optical coherence tomography to deliver triple-input illumination, enabling the quantitative measurement of posterior scleral birefringence. Studies in animal models and human volunteers demonstrate that increased birefringence correlates with axial elongation and refractive error, positioning this metric as a non-invasive biomarker for myopia progression. In parallel, an ultrathin, wireless battery-free eye-modulation patch has been developed for high-myopia therapy. By integrating ultrasonic power delivery, piezoelectric actuation and a riboflavin-enabled microneedle array for targeted scleral cross-linking, preclinical trials report axial-length reductions exceeding 1 mm and a near-fourfold increase in scleral stiffness, suggesting a minimally invasive approach to control pathological elongation.
Topic trend for the past 5 years
The graph below shows the article count in Nature Index journals for ophthalmology and optometry.
* The ‘Current Index’ represents data for a 12-month rolling window, the current window is 1 May 2025 - 30 April 2026.
Technical terms
Refractive error: Any defect in the eye’s focusing power—myopia, hyperopia or astigmatism—that blurs images on the retina unless corrected.
Myopia: A form of refractive error in which distant objects appear blurred because light focuses in front of the retina, often linked to axial elongation.
Axial elongation: Lengthening of the eye’s posterior segment, representing the principal structural change driving myopia progression.
Optical coherence tomography (OCT): Non-invasive imaging modality that produces micrometre-resolution cross-sectional views of ocular tissues.
Birefringence: Optical property whereby a tissue exhibits direction-dependent refractive indices, used to assess microstructural organisation such as collagen orientation in sclera.
Notable articles in ophthalmology and optometry
- A 3D nanoscale optical disk memory with petabit capacity. Nature (2024).
- Pegcetacoplan for the treatment of geographic atrophy secondary to age-related macular degeneration (OAKS and DERBY): two multicentre, randomised, double-masked, sham-controlled, phase 3 trials. The Lancet (2023).
- The functional diversity of retinal ganglion cells in the mouse. Nature (2016).
- Commensal microflora-induced T cell responses mediate progressive neurodegeneration in glaucoma. Nature Communications (2018).
- Rare earth nanoparticles prevent retinal degeneration induced by intracellular peroxides. Nature Nanotechnology (2006).
- Space–time wiring specificity supports direction selectivity in the retina. Nature (2014).
- Towards real-time photorealistic 3D holography with deep neural networks. Nature (2021).
- A wireless battery-free eye modulation patch for high myopia therapy. Nature Communications (2024).
About these summaries
This Nature Research Intelligence Topic summary is created with the cited references and a large language model. We take care to ground generated text with facts, and have systems in place to gain human feedback on the overall quality of the process in line with our AI principles. We strive to create accurate and useful summaries for people unfamiliar with the research topic and that supports this goal. These pages are a beta release and will be updated as we learn how best to help people gain value from a research topic summary.
Research
Position of Ophthalmology and Optometry in Nature Index by Count
Leading institutions
| Institution | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Harvard University | 26 | 9.42 |
| Wenzhou Medical University (WMU) | 14 | 6.14 |
| Johns Hopkins University (JHU) | 20 | 5.81 |
| Sun Yat-sen University (SYSU) | 11 | 4.94 |
| University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) | 11 | 4.85 |
| Fudan University | 10 | 4.58 |
| University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego) | 8 | 4.29 |
| Sichuan University (SCU) | 6 | 3.89 |
| Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) | 16 | 3.53 |
| The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) | 6 | 3.53 |
Leading countries/territories
| Countries/territories | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| United States of America (USA) | 146 | 115.75 |
| China | 94 | 78.55 |
| South Korea | 16 | 11.11 |
| United Kingdom (UK) | 33 | 9.59 |
| Japan | 18 | 8.27 |
| France | 17 | 6.59 |
| Germany | 22 | 6.18 |
| Australia | 19 | 5.71 |
| Canada | 8 | 4.72 |
| Netherlands | 10 | 4.39 |
Collaboration
Top 5 leading collaborators in Ophthalmology and Optometry
Collaborating institutions
Note: Hover over the bars to view details about each institution's Share.
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