title: Citation Analysis of Keratoconus 1900-2013: The Most Influential Publications, Authors, Institutions, and Journals.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objectives of this study were to identify the 250 most highly cited publications on keratoconus and to identify trends in topics and distinguish the most influential authors, journals, and institutions in the field.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a database study.
  
  
  METHODS
  The authors searched the Web of Science database using the keyword "keratoconus." The results were refined to articles and reviews only, years 1900 to 2013, and sorted by citation count. The 250 most cited, relevant publications to keratoconus were identified, and citation analysis of the authors, topics, journals, institutions, and countries was performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  From the 3030 records identified, the most cited 250 publications were all published in the last 60 years. Publication numbers rose exponentially from the early 1960s, and citation rates have mirrored this. For the 250 most cited publications, the top 25 authors contributed to 60.2% (mean, 6.1 ± 2.3 publications per author), and the top 25 institutions contributed to 57.6%. The mean citation count per article was 80.7 ± 62.4. Twelve journal titles contained 89.2% of the 250 most cited articles, and greater than 47.6% of publications originated from the United States. The major subtopics were corneal transplantation (31.2%), diagnostic instruments (17.6%), and structural and molecular analyses (17.6%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There has been an exponential increase in the body of knowledge on keratoconus in the last 60 years. This interest has been driven by refractive surgery related keratectasia, the emergence of better imaging technologies, and effective treatments.
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Ophthalmology, New Zealand National Eye Centre, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Noor Q
authors.initials: NQ
authors.lastname: Ali
authors.forename: Dipika V
authors.initials: DV
authors.lastname: Patel
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lockington
authors.forename: Charles N J
authors.initials: CN
authors.lastname: McGhee