Archives of Ophthalmology

Archives of Ophthalmology was a peer-reviewed medical journal published by the American Medical Association focusing on clinical and basic research in ophthalmology, with a publication history spanning from the 19th to the early 21st century. It served clinicians, researchers, and educators associated with institutions such as Johns Hopkins Hospital, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Mayo Clinic, and Wilmer Eye Institute, and influenced guidelines referenced by organizations including the World Health Organization, National Institutes of Health, and American Academy of Ophthalmology. The journal disseminated work by prominent figures affiliated with Harvard Medical School, University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University School of Medicine, and University of California, Los Angeles.

History

Founded in 1869, the journal emerged amid developments at institutions like Bellevue Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital during an era that also saw advances by individuals connected to Louis Pasteur, Robert Koch, and Ignaz Semmelweis. In the early 20th century editorial leadership intersected with scholars from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and practitioners from Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, reflecting broader trends paralleling publications such as The Lancet and New England Journal of Medicine. Postwar expansion aligned the journal with research from laboratories sponsored by the National Eye Institute and collaborations involving investigators at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, University of Michigan Medical School, and University of Chicago. In the 21st century editorial policies and scope evolved alongside changes at the American Medical Association and converged with digitization movements initiated by the PubMed Central and MEDLINE databases prior to the journal's title transition.

Scope and Content

The journal covered clinical reports, surgical techniques, epidemiologic studies, basic science investigations, and reviews produced by researchers at centers such as Moorfields Eye Hospital, Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, Scheie Eye Institute, and Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary. Topics included retinal disease studies linked with research groups at Scripps Research, corneal transplantation work from Wills Eye Hospital, glaucoma research tied to Doheny Eye Institute, and pediatric ophthalmology reports from Boston Children's Hospital. Contributions encompassed imaging advances associated with teams from MIT, genetic analyses connected to Broad Institute, and translational trials occurring at Dana–Farber Cancer Institute. Clinical trial reports often referenced standards analogous to those used by Food and Drug Administration, European Medicines Agency, and cooperative groups collaborating with NIH Clinical Center.

Publication and Editorial Information

Published monthly by the American Medical Association, the journal maintained editorial boards populated by academics from Harvard Medical School, Stanford University School of Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Peer review workflows resonated with procedures at Nature Medicine and JAMA, and manuscript submissions were managed within infrastructures comparable to those at Elsevier and Wiley-Blackwell. The journal's indexing status paralleled inclusion in databases maintained by National Library of Medicine and citation tracking by Clarivate Analytics and Scopus. Its editorial policies reflected ethical frameworks advanced by bodies such as Committee on Publication Ethics and regulatory expectations from agencies like the Office for Human Research Protections.

Impact and Reception

The journal influenced practice patterns in specialties associated with institutions such as Moorfields Eye Hospital, Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, Wills Eye Hospital, and Wilmer Eye Institute, and its articles were cited in guidelines produced by American Academy of Ophthalmology and systematic reviews appearing in Cochrane Collaboration. Citation metrics registered in services run by Clarivate Analytics and Scopus evidenced its role within literature alongside titles like Ophthalmology (journal) and British Journal of Ophthalmology. The journal's editorial decisions occasionally sparked debate in forums connected to Association of American Medical Colleges and coverage in periodicals such as The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal when high-profile clinical controversies or landmark trials were published.

Notable Articles and Contributions

Significant reports included randomized trials and landmark descriptions authored by investigators affiliated with Johns Hopkins Hospital, Mayo Clinic, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, and Bascom Palmer Eye Institute. Key contributions encompassed work on retinal therapies developed with collaborators at Genentech, surgical innovations paralleling techniques from Cleveland Clinic, epidemiologic cohort analyses similar to efforts at Framingham Heart Study investigators, and genetic discoveries linked to teams from Broad Institute and University of Oxford. Reviews and case series often cited methodological frameworks from CONSORT and diagnostic criteria used in multicenter studies coordinated with NIH networks. The journal published influential reports that informed clinical practice at centers including Wills Eye Hospital, Duke University School of Medicine, and University of California, San Francisco, and contributed to the evidence base underlying regulatory decisions by the Food and Drug Administration.

Category:Ophthalmology journals Category:American Medical Association academic journals