The 100 most frequently cited articles in ophthalmology journals.

We screened 46 ophthalmology journals to identify the most frequently cited articles using the Science Citation Index Expanded (1975 to 2006). The 100 most-cited articles were published in 13 journals, most in the Archives of Ophthalmology (n = 30), followed by Ophthalmology (n = 27) and the American Journal of Ophthalmology (n = 11), and originated from 10 countries, led by the United States (n = 86). The topics covered by these classic articles included epidemiology of age-related macular degeneration and glaucoma, description of new diseases including cytomegalovirus retinitis, optical coherence tomography, hypotensive medications in glaucoma, laser photocoagulation to treat diabetic retinopathy and subfoveal choroidal neovascularization, photorefractive surgery, and vitrectomy to treat idiopathic macular hole. The most frequently cited articles provide a historical perspective in the scientific advancement of ophthalmology during the last 3 decades.