Journal profile · Ophthalmology
Ocular Surface
ISSN 1542-0124 · eISSN 1937-5913 · Elsevier Inc. · UNITED STATES · Quarterly · Founded 2003
Ocular Surface: CAS Zone 1 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 6.55; hybrid open access; APC about USD 5,330; median 129 days to acceptance (95 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: fairly easy; 116 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
The journal's website announces a move to full open access: At Elsevier, we are committed to advancing human progress and making research accessible to everyone. We are pleased to announce that from January 1, 2027, The Ocular Surface will become a fully open access journal, with all articles freely available to readers worldwide. Source ↗Publisher website ·
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Ocular Surface is published by Elsevier Inc. and is in Zone 1 of Medicine in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Ocular Surface and Contact Lens, Corneal Surgery and Treatments and Corneal surgery and disorders, together about 56.9% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The Ocular Surface, a quarterly, a peer-reviewed journal, is an authoritative resource that integrates and interprets major findings in diverse fields related to the ocular surface, including ophthalmology, optometry, genetics, molecular biology, pharmacology, immunology, infectious disease, and epidemiology. Its critical review articles cover the most current knowledge on medical and surgical management of ocular surface pathology, new understandings of ocular surface physiology, the meaning of recent discoveries on how the ocular surface responds to injury and disease, and updates on drug and device development. The journal also publishes select original research reports and articles describing cutting-edge techniques and technology in the field.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Ophthalmology
Editor-in-chief Cintia de PaivaPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 2 in mainland China (about 4%); most named United States 29, India 5, United Kingdom 4, Japan 3, Italy 3 (54 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Ocular Surface and Contact LensMedicine30.9%
- Corneal Surgery and TreatmentsMedicine17.3%
- Corneal surgery and disordersMedicine8.7%
- Glaucoma and retinal disordersMedicine6.1%
- Ocular Infections and TreatmentsMedicine5.3%
- Diverse Scientific and Economic StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance3.3%
- Salivary Gland Disorders and FunctionsMedicine3%
- Allergic Rhinitis and SensitizationMedicine3%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Medicine Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Ophthalmology | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Ophthalmology | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Medicine Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Ophthalmology | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
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
- 6.55LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 6.6Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 10.8LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 10.8Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.88LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 2.22LetPub ·
- h-index
- 53LetPub ·
- h-index
- 115OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 907OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 4.64OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 4.5%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 31.21%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 89LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 2,026 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 97 | 35 | 27 |
| 2025 | 116 | 54 | 473 |
| 2024 | 118 | 63 | 1,035 |
| 2023 | 119 | 68 | 2,240 |
| 2022 | 93 | 47 | 1,727 |
| 2021 | 135 | 81 | 4,355 |
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 PubMed · to
129 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 77 days – 172 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 2 days (94 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 134 days
- Sample
- 95 articles with submission and acceptance dates (224 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
- 7 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 43 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 123 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 2 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Single 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 5,330 / EUR 4,990 / GBP 4,270 / JPY 661,080 | — | — |
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)
What to prepare3 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Graphical abstract
- Required
- Cover letter
- Required
Article types accepted2
- high impact original research reportsHigh Impact Original Research Reports The goal of including original research articles in TOS is to provide rapid, peer-reviewed publication of high-quality, hi…Length not stated
- review articleMost reviews are written at the invitation of the editors, but independent proposals of articles are welcomed. To propose a review, please email a brief descrip…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Preprints
- AI use Declaration of generative AI use
Authors must declare the use of generative AI tools in the manuscript preparation process upon submission of the paper.Generative AI and AI-assisted technologies (“AI tools”) have been rapidly adopted in research and scholarly publishing, offering significant benefits while requiring clear standards for responsible and transparent use.Authors preparing a manuscript for this journal may use AI tool…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Group authorship
Group authorship refers to the attribution of an article to a defined and named group of authors whose members have contributed to the work. Examples include research consortia, clinical trial groups, collaborative networks, task forces or working groups, expert panels or consensus groups, and participatory research groups. Group authorship must be declared on the title page at submission. When av…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Declaration of competing interests
All authors must disclose any financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence or bias their work. Examples of potential competing interests include:EmploymentConsultanciesStock ownershipHonorariaPaid expert testimonyPatent applications or registrationsGrants or any other fundingAffiliation with the journal as an Editor or Advisory Board …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright License options
Authors will be offered open access user license options which will determine how you, and third parties, can reuse your open access article. We advise that you review these options and any funding body license requirements before selecting a license option.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access
We refer you to our open access information page to learn about open access options for this journal.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer review
Peer review type: single anonymized review process. Model summary
This journal follows a single anonymized review process. Your submission will initially be assessed by our editors. If your submission is deemed suitable, it will typically be sent to be reviewed by a minimum of one reviewer for an independent expert assessment of the scientific quality. The decision as to whether your article is accepted or rejected for publication will be made by our editors.Rea…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprints
Preprint sharingAuthors may share preprints in line with Elsevier's article sharing policy. Sharing preprints, such as on a preprint server, will not count as prior publication.We advise you to read our policy on multiple, redundant or concurrent publication.
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
- Elsevier Inc.
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Quarterly
- Founded
- 2003
- ISSN
- 1542-0124
- Electronic ISSN
- 1937-5913
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Ocular Surface
What CAS zone is Ocular Surface in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Ocular Surface is in Zone 1 of Medicine, and in Zone 1 of the minor category Ophthalmology; it is a Top journal. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 1 of Medicine. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Ocular Surface?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 6.55; CiteScore 10.8, h-index 115.
How long does peer review take at Ocular Surface?
Based on the dates recorded on 95 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 129 days (interquartile range 77–172 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 Ocular Surface?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Graphical abstract: Required; Cover letter: Required. 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 Ocular Surface based?
Of the 54 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 2 (about 4%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (29), India (5) and United Kingdom (4). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Ocular Surface?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Ocular Surface is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Ocular Surface open access, and what is the APC?
Ocular Surface is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 5,330.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, OpenAlex; 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: .