The Recent Evolution of the Application of MicroRNAs in Eye-related Disease Research: A Systematic, Bibliometric and Visualized View of the Literature

Recent studies have demonstrated that microRNAs hold potential as diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets for ophthalmic diseases. However, there is a lack of bibliometric research focused on the role of microRNAs in ophthalmology. In this study, we conducted a bibliometric analysis to examine the trends and research hotspots in the field of microRNAs in eye-related diseases, providing a visual map of both established and emerging trends. We retrieved publications from the Web of Science database covering the period from 1999 to 2025. Visual representations were created using VOSviewer, CiteSpace, Venn diagrams, UpSet RStudio, and Microsoft Excel to perform co-occurrence and co-citation analyses, highlighting trends, hotspots, and contributions from authors, institutions, journals, and countries/regions. China and the United States emerged as the leading contributors, while Investigative Ophthalmology and Experimental Eye Research were the most prolific journals in this field. Over the past 26 years, the number of publications and citations has grown exponentially across various countries, organizations, and authors. Notably, we found that the dysregulation of let-7, miR-184, miR-181, miR-155, miR-146, miR-21, and miR-9 occurred most frequently in various ocular-related diseases. This study outlines the current trends, hotspots, and emerging frontiers in the field, offering new insights into the identification of diagnostic biomarkers and the design of future clinical trials for microRNAs in ophthalmic diseases. Additionally, international collaborations are essential for expanding and advancing research on microRNAs in eye-related diseases.