Drug Delivery Contact Lenses: A Bibliographic Review
Abstract
Drug delivery contact lenses have gained attention as a promising alternative to conventional eye drops, offering improved therapeutic efficacy and patient compliance. This bibliometric review analyzes research trends, publication impact, and global collaboration patterns using data retrieved from the Scopus and Web of Science (WOS) databases. A total of 287 articles from Scopus and 254 from WOS were included. The United States and China emerged as the most active contributors, with China leading the field in the past five years. Articles and reviews were the dominant document types. The National Institutes of Health (U.S.) and Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (Portugal) were identified as major funding agencies, while the International Journal of Pharmaceutics and Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science were the most prolific publication sources. Key research areas include pharmacology, toxicology, pharmaceutics, and materials science. Keyword co-occurrence analysis revealed thematic clusters related to drug delivery systems, lens materials, and therapeutic applications. Timolol was among the most frequently mentioned drugs. Additionally, this study highlights the most cited authors, most impactful publications, and the latest contributions in the field. These findings offer a comprehensive overview and can inform future research and collaboration.