Journal profile · Ophthalmology
Documenta Ophthalmologica
ISSN 0012-4486 · eISSN 1573-2622 · Springer Berlin Heidelberg · NETHERLANDS · Bimonthly · Founded 1938
Documenta Ophthalmologica: CAS Zone 4 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.95; hybrid open access; APC about USD 4,090; median 132 days to acceptance (98 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: fairly easy; 66 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Documenta Ophthalmologica is published by Springer Berlin Heidelberg and is in Zone 4 of Medicine in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Retinal Development and Disorders, Glaucoma and retinal disorders and Visual perception and processing mechanisms, together about 37.6% of its articles. Its main subfields are Ophthalmology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The aim of Documenta Ophthalmologica is to promote the understanding of the clinical physiology and pathophysiology of the retina and visual pathways. The scope of the journal encompasses the understanding and evaluation of visual function in the retina and/or central nervous system in humans and animals in health and in disease. Documenta Ophthalmologica will publish reviews, original research articles, technical notes, brief reports, and case studies that focus on clinical and preclinical evaluations of vision. The International Society for Clinical Electrophysiology of Vision (ISCEV) adopted Documenta Ophthalmologica as its official journal in 1985. The aims and scope are aligned with those of ISCEV, including informing readers about pre-clinical and clinical progress related to evaluation of vision, especially electrophysiological evaluation, and of means to improve our understanding of the neurophysiology and pathophysiology of disease processes and their management.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Ophthalmology
Editor-in-chief Daphne L. McCullochPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 3 in mainland China (about 7%); most named United States 12, Germany 5, United Kingdom 4, Australia 4, Mainland China 3 (42 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Retinal Development and DisordersBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology19.1%
- Glaucoma and retinal disordersMedicine10.1%
- Visual perception and processing mechanismsNeuroscience8.4%
- Retinal Diseases and TreatmentsMedicine8%
- Photoreceptor and optogenetics researchNeuroscience5.4%
- Ophthalmology and Visual Impairment StudiesMedicine4.8%
- Neuroscience and Neural EngineeringNeuroscience3.5%
- Retinal and Optic ConditionsMedicine3.4%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Medicine Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Ophthalmology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Ophthalmology | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Medicine Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Ophthalmology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
MEDLINEEmbaseCAB AbstractsCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: Google Scholar, EBSCO, ProQuest, Dimensions, CNKI, Baidu, Naver, OCLC, Portico, CLOCKSS, Semantic Scholar
As the journal's website lists them, not checked against each database; for Web of Science editions the records above apply.
Editions, and major and minor categories, are shown separately and never merged into one zone; check which edition your institution uses before you submit or report.
Metrics
Impact metrics and publication volume
Impact
- Impact factor
- 1.95LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.4Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 2.9LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.59LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.13LetPub ·
- h-index
- 49LetPub ·
- h-index
- 92OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1,760OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.54OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 15%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 47.33%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 58LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 242,600Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 4,247 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 81 | 41 | 15 |
| 2025 | 66 | 38 | 102 |
| 2024 | 42 | 21 | 174 |
| 2023 | 45 | 22 | 273 |
| 2022 | 53 | 27 | 850 |
| 2021 | 56 | 23 | 550 |
Sources count differently and were observed at different times, so each source's own value is kept; "publisher" marks figures from the journal's website.
Review & acceptance
Review time and acceptance
Review time from article dates manuscript dates registered with Crossref · to
132 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 88 days – 188 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 19 days (98 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 157 days
- Sample
- 98 articles with submission and acceptance dates (154 in the window); the latest was accepted on
Only articles that were accepted and published are counted, not the time spent on rejected manuscripts, so this usually runs longer than a publisher's "time to first decision".
Other sources
- Average review time (community reports)
- over 12 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- Fairly easyLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 10 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Double anonymous peer reviewPublisher website
Community reports come from authors' own submissions (confidence 0.5) and are not a promise from the journal; for publisher figures, the journal's own definitions apply.
Fees & open access
APC and open-access policy
Hybrid open accessLetPub
A subscription journal in which authors can pay to publish their article open access.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 4,090 / EUR 3,190 / GBP 2,690 | — | — |
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
The journal's website is authoritative for fees; sources were observed at different times and each keeps its own value, without averaging.
Submission
Article types and submission policies (journal website)
Open calls for papers1, by deadline
Publisher websiteWhat to prepare5 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- 150–300 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 4
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 6,000 words
- Reference style
- Numbered, in order of citation
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
Article types accepted18, with length limits
- book reviewsThe aim of a Book review is to give a brief summary of the book's strengths and weaknesses and to evaluate the book's overall usefulness to the readership of ou…Length not stated
- brief reportReview articles Review articles are overview papers by recognized authorities, they may be narrative or systematic and should offer exhaustive information on se…main text ≤ 1,500 words · abstract ≤ 200 words · figures and tables ≤ 4 · references ≤ 20
- brief reports and technical notesBrief reports are concise reports of original observations. Technical Notes introduce advances in technology, novel diagnostic strategies such as protocols and …Length not stated
- case reportReview articles Review articles are overview papers by recognized authorities, they may be narrative or systematic and should offer exhaustive information on se…main text ≤ 1,500 words
- clinical case reportsClinical Case Reports will be considered when they illustrate exceptional or rare clinical experiences.Length not stated
- editorialEditorials should deal with subjects of general informative interest. They should not include an Abstract and Keywords, not exceed 800 words, not be signed by m…main text ≤ 800 words · abstract ≤ 800 words · figures and tables ≤ 3
- editorialsEditorials should deal with subjects of general informative interest.Length not stated
- guidelinesGuidelines, protocols, consensus statements on relevant diagnostic, clinical and therapeutic problems are regularly published.Length not stated
- letters to the editorPublication of correspondence is at the discretion of the Editor in Chief. Brief letters providing pertinent comments on published articles will be considered a…main text ≤ 800 words · figures and tables ≤ 2 · references ≤ 5
- multimedia articlesSuch articles should be arranged as Original Research articles where the video plays a major role.Length not stated
- original articleReview articles Review articles are overview papers by recognized authorities, they may be narrative or systematic and should offer exhaustive information on se…main text ≤ 5,000 words
- original research articleReview articles Review articles are overview papers by recognized authorities, they may be narrative or systematic and should offer exhaustive information on se…Length not stated
- original research articlesOriginal Research Articles should present original clinical or pre-clinical observations.Length not stated
- protocolReview articles Review articles are overview papers by recognized authorities, they may be narrative or systematic and should offer exhaustive information on se…Length not stated
- reviewReview articles Review articles are overview papers by recognized authorities, they may be narrative or systematic and should offer exhaustive information on se…main text ≤ 6,000 words
- review articleReview articles Review articles are overview papers by recognized authorities, they may be narrative or systematic and should offer exhaustive information on se…Length not stated
- review articlesReview articles are overview papers by recognized authorities, they may be narrative or systematic and should offer exhaustive information on selected topics of…Length not stated
- technical noteReview articles Review articles are overview papers by recognized authorities, they may be narrative or systematic and should offer exhaustive information on se…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Trial registration / reporting guidelines
- AI use Generative AI Images
Please check Springer’s policy on generative AI images and make sure your work adheres to the principles described therein. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Authorship principles
These guidelines describe authorship principles and good authorship practices to which prospective authors should adhere to. Authorship clarified The Journal and Publisher assume all authors agreed with the content and that all gave explicit consent to submit and that they obtained consent from the responsible authorities at the institute/organization where the work has been carried out, before th…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Disclosures and declarations
All authors are requested to include information regarding sources of funding, financial or non-financial interests, study-specific approval by the appropriate ethics committee for research involving humans and/or animals, informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved animals (as appropriate). The decision whether such …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data availability statements
Data transparency: data, materials, software, and code must support published claims. Model summary
All original research must include a data availability statement. This statement should explain how to access data supporting the results and analysis in the article, including links/citations to publicly archived datasets analysed or generated during the study. Please see our full policy here. If it is not possible to share research data publicly, for instance when individual privacy could be com…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics Compliance with Ethical Standards
Commitment to scientific record integrity; follows COPE guidelines on misconduct. Model summary
To ensure objectivity and transparency in research and to ensure that accepted principles of ethical and professional conduct have been followed, authors should include information regarding sources of funding, potential conflicts of interest (financial or non-financial), informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved an…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright
Open Choice articles do not require transfer of copyright as the copyright remains with the author. In opting for open access, the author(s) agree to publish the article under a Creative Commons license. Details of the OA licences offered to authors can be found on the individual journal website, in the journal's How to publish with us guide. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access publishing
To find out more about publishing your work Open Access in Documenta Ophthalmologica, including information on fees, funding and licences, visit our Open access publishing page. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Authors may suggest or exclude reviewers; suggested reviewers must be independent. Model summary
Authors are welcome to suggest suitable reviewers and/or request the exclusion of certain individuals when they submit their manuscripts.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Trial registration / reporting guidelines Clinical Trial Registration
The World Health Organization (WHO) definition of a clinical trial is "any research study that prospectively assigns human participants or groups of humans to one or more health-related interventions to evaluate the effects on health outcomes". The WHO defines health interventions as “A health intervention is an act performed for, with or on behalf of a person or population whose purpose is to ass…
Source ↗Publisher website ·
Excerpts are quoted from the journal's website; "model summary" lines are written by Workers AI and checked against the text. The journal's website is authoritative.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Springer Berlin Heidelberg
- Country or region
- NETHERLANDS
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Bimonthly
- Founded
- 1938
- ISSN
- 0012-4486
- Electronic ISSN
- 1573-2622
- Society / sponsor
- International Society for Clinical Electrophysiology and Vision
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 153, Issue 1 (August 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Documenta Ophthalmologica
What CAS zone is Documenta Ophthalmologica in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Documenta Ophthalmologica is in Zone 4 of Medicine, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Ophthalmology. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 4 of Medicine. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Documenta Ophthalmologica?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.95; CiteScore 2.9, h-index 92.
How long does peer review take at Documenta Ophthalmologica?
Based on the dates recorded on 98 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 132 days (interquartile range 88–188 days); authors report an average review time of over 12 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Fairly easy”. Article statistics cover accepted papers only, publisher figures follow the journal's own definitions, and community reports come from authors' own submissions; none is a promise from the journal.
What are the manuscript requirements of Documenta Ophthalmologica?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: 150–300 words; Keywords: ≥ 4; Manuscript length: ≤ 6,000 words; Reference style: Numbered, in order of citation; Suggested reviewers: Optional. A model extracted these from the author guidelines and each was checked against the text; check the latest version on the journal's website before submitting.
Where are the editorial board members of Documenta Ophthalmologica based?
Of the 42 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 3 (about 7%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (12), Germany (5) and United Kingdom (4). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Documenta Ophthalmologica?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Documenta Ophthalmologica is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists MEDLINE, Embase, CAB Abstracts and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Documenta Ophthalmologica open access, and what is the APC?
Documenta Ophthalmologica is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 4,090.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, Publisher website; every figure is tagged with its source and the date it was observed, and conflicting values are kept per source. LetPub source page: view ↗ (archived 2026-08-26). Last updated: .