About Die Ophthalmologie

Die Ophthalmologie

Die Ophthalmologie is a German-language monthly specialist journal for ophthalmology, published by Springer Medizin in Berlin as the official journal of the Deutsche Ophthalmologische Gesellschaft (DOG), the German ophthalmological society founded in 1857, the oldest such society in the world. Until June 2022 it appeared under the title Der Ophthalmologe, before being renamed as part of the publisher's broad gender-inclusivity initiative that replaced titles based on male professional designations with titles based on the medical disciplines. The journal is an internationally recognized publication organ dedicated to all aspects of eye medicine, serving both the scientific exchange and the continuing education of ophthalmologists. All of its articles are peer reviewed, and manuscripts reporting studies on human subjects must comply with the Declaration of Helsinki, anchoring the journal's ethical standards in the same framework used by international medical journals.

Overview

Die Ophthalmologie is a monthly journal covering the entire field of ophthalmology: retinal diseases, glaucoma, cataract, corneal and refractive surgery, neuro-ophthalmology, ocular oncology, paediatric ophthalmology, and new diagnostic and therapeutic methods. Its concept centres on comprehensive review articles on a current lead topic, which form the core of each issue and convey secured knowledge on diagnostics and therapy with high relevance for daily work, including concrete recommendations for action.

Alongside the reviews, freely submitted original articles allow the presentation of important clinical studies and serve scientific exchange, while case reports present interesting cases and unusual courses of disease or treatment, contributing to the optimization of diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. The CME certified-continuing-education rubric offers secured results of scientific research and makes physicians' experience usable for daily practice; after reading the articles, readers can test their acquired knowledge and earn CME points online, with the rubric aligned to the specialty's training regulations, making the journal a recognized vehicle for the specialty's mandatory continuing education.

The journal's aims and scope are presented in both German and English on the publisher's platform, and its articles carry English summaries, reflecting its international orientation. As an internationally recognized journal dealing with all aspects of ophthalmology, it serves both the scientific exchange and the continuing education of ophthalmologists, combining the functions of a scholarly journal and a professional training medium. The journal appears monthly, a frequency that reflects the pace of development in ophthalmology, allows each lead theme the space of a full issue, and keeps readers close to clinical and scientific developments. Its print ISSN is 2731-720X and its online ISSN is 2731-7218. The German National Library catalogues the journal with the record ID 1263486800, and its long-term archiving is guaranteed by the national library.

History

The journal's lineage traces back to the publication activities of the Deutsche Ophthalmologische Gesellschaft, founded in 1857 as the oldest ophthalmological society in the world. The modern journal began in 1992 as Der Ophthalmologe, succeeding the Fortschritte der Ophthalmologie (1982-1991), which in turn continued the society's meeting reports published since the nineteenth century, giving the journal an unbroken editorial lineage within German ophthalmology.

In June 2022, with volume 119, issue 6, the journal was renamed Die Ophthalmologie. The renaming was explained in an editorial by Paul Herrmann and Frank G. Holz, who noted that the title concept "Der Facharzt" had fallen out of time: it represented the readership only in part, since about half of all physicians were women and nearly two-thirds of medical students were female. The editors argued that the new title finally put on the cover what was inside: the discipline of ophthalmology itself. The same wave renamed Der Chirurg to Die Chirurgie, Der Urologe to Die Urologie, Der Anaesthesist to Die Anaesthesiologie, and the other specialist titles across the publisher's portfolio, in a project that followed repeated discussions in the publishing editorial office, the editor board, among authors, and with the cooperating specialist societies and readers.

The journal has documented the field's development for more than three decades, from the introduction of new surgical techniques and imaging methods to the transformation of retinal therapy by anti-VEGF treatments and the digitization of ophthalmic diagnostics. Its continuity through the title changes, from the society's early meeting reports through Fortschritte der Ophthalmologie to Der Ophthalmologe and now Die Ophthalmologie, makes it one of the longest-standing publication organs of any German medical specialty society.

Coverage and Content

The journal covers all aspects of ophthalmology: anterior and posterior segment diseases, glaucoma, cataract and refractive surgery, corneal diseases, retinal and vitreous disorders, neuro-ophthalmology, orbital diseases, ocular oncology, paediatric ophthalmology, and emergency ophthalmology. Each issue is built around a lead theme, with comprehensive reviews providing evidence-based information on diagnostics and therapy relevant to daily practice.

Original articles present important clinical studies and contribute to scientific exchange, while case reports illustrate interesting cases and unusual disease courses. The CME rubric delivers certified continuing education with online knowledge testing and CME points. The journal's coverage reflects the rapid technological development of ophthalmology, from optical coherence tomography and artificial intelligence in diagnostics to gene therapy and new pharmacological treatments for retinal diseases. It addresses the full range of the specialty's clinical and scientific questions, serving office-based ophthalmologists, hospital-based clinicians, and researchers alike.

As the journal of the DOG, it also carries the society's communications and reflects the professional concerns of German ophthalmology, from training and quality assurance to health policy questions affecting the specialty. The society, as the world's oldest ophthalmological society, gives the journal a historical authority that few specialist journals can match, and the journal's role as its official organ makes it a central forum for the German ophthalmology community.

Organization and Ownership

Die Ophthalmologie is published by Springer Medizin Verlag GmbH, the medical publishing division of Springer Nature, headquartered in Berlin. It is the official journal of the Deutsche Ophthalmologische Gesellschaft (DOG), giving it an official standing within German ophthalmology.

The editor-in-chief is Frank G. Holz of the University Eye Clinic Bonn, one of Germany's leading academic ophthalmology centres. Subscription and customer service are handled through the publisher's service centre, which manages subscriptions, address changes, and website access, and the editorial office can be contacted directly through the journal's page on the publisher's website, which also invites reader feedback and comments.

Digital Presence

Die Ophthalmologie is fully integrated into Springer Medizin's digital ecosystem. The journal's page on the publisher's website presents its aims and scope in German and English, the current and recent monthly issues, and the standard rubrics of lead-theme reviews, original articles, case reports, and CME courses. Articles are published with DOIs and are available through Springer Nature Link, where they can be cited and downloaded. The online edition carries the ISSN 2731-7218, and the platform's archive preserves the journal's full run under both its current and former titles.

The journal's digital identity lives within the Springer Medizin and Springer Nature Link platforms rather than on a standalone brand site, which is standard for the publisher's specialist journals. Subscription management is handled online and through the customer service centre, and the platform provides the editorial office's contact for direct feedback from readers and authors on content and service. Whether the journal maintains dedicated social media channels is not publicly confirmed from the sources consulted, and its online presence remains centred on the publisher's platforms, which serve authors, readers, and subscribers.