ABSTRACT Background Eye care is a critical yet often overlooked aspect of nursing care in intensive care units (ICUs). Critically ill patients are highly susceptible to ocular complications due to impaired protective mechanisms, environmental exposure and treatment‐related factors. Mapping research trends and identifying gaps is essential to strengthen evidence‐based practice and improve patient outcomes. Aim To map research trends and identify knowledge gaps in eye care practices in the ICU within the nursing discipline to inform future research and clinical strategies. Study Design A bibliometric analysis was conducted using the Web of Science database from 1998 to August 2025. To be eligible for inclusion, articles must be published in English and indexed under nursing and addressing eye care in ICU. Data were analysed using the Bibliometrix R package and VOSviewer. The analysis included performance analysis, co‐occurrence network analysis, thematic mapping and co‐citation analysis to explore publication trends, research themes and collaboration patterns. Results A total of 38 articles were included in the final analysis. These papers were published in 16 journals, with an average annual growth rate of 8.48%. Leading journals were Nursing in Critical Care , Journal of Clinical Nursing and BMC Nursing . Thematic mapping demonstrated a predominant focus on motor themes—eye care, exposure keratopathy and mechanical ventilation. Meanwhile, basic and emerging themes were underrepresented, and international collaboration remained limited. Conclusions This study provides the first bibliometric mapping of ICU eye care research in nursing, identifying established domains in ocular complication prevention and the need for targeted research on guideline development and education. Relevance to Clinical Practice Incorporating standardised, evidence‐based protocols, expanding nursing education and fostering interdisciplinary and international collaboration may improve the quality, consistency and outcomes of ocular health management in critically ill populations.
Dünya et al. (Mon,) studied this question.