AIM: To analyze and reveal international researching hot topics in macular edema field.

METHODS:Macular edema related articles during 1946-2011 from PubMed database were retrieved for quantitative analysis by software of BICOMS. PASW 18.0 statistical software was used to cluster high frequency hot topics of published articles, and clustering relationship picture of high frequency hot topics were drawn.

RESULTS: Totally 5 871 macular edema related articles were retrieved, it's increasing year by year. 83.87% of the total volume of documentation of the published literature was in English. American published 2 921 macular edema related articles, which accounted for 49.75% of worldwide totally published articles. 51 high frequency hot topics were gained. High frequency hot topics were clustered into 7 categories by clustering analysis, which ranked as the adverse effects of glucocorticoid treatment of macular edema, the diagnosis of macular edema, macular edema pathology/physiology, surgical treatment of macular edema, the drug treatment of macular edema, after treatment adverse reactions, macular edema after cataract extraction and phacoemulsification.

CONCLUSION: Recently international countries pay more attention to macular edema related study, and the published macular edema related articles rapidly increased, American and European countries occupy the dominant position for the number of published macular edema related articles. The international main research focus included basic research to macular edema, the diagnosis of macular edema, surgery and drugs and treatment of macular edema.