We　analyze　thematic　trends　and　challenging　issues　in　fiber　optics　research　based　on　the　metadata　of　4970　research　papers　indexed　in　Science　Citation　Index　(SCI)　database　between　1974　and　2007.　We　specifically　address　1)　all-time　prominent　challenges　in　fiber　optics,　2)　a　trend　of　progression　in　fiber　optics　3)　the　structure　and　dynamics　of　the　fiber　optics　community.　We　utilize　CiteSpace,　a　progressive　domain　visualization　tool,　to　identify　and　visualize　the　movement　of　research　fronts　and　intellectual　bases,　persistent　clusters　of　papers,　and　the　evolution　of　co-authorship　networks　as　well　as　citation　networks.　The　result　contributed　an　in-depth　analysis　of　a　major　forum　of　fiber　optics　and　a　systematic　and　streamlined　method　to　keep　abreast　of　the　history　and　the　state　of　the　research　of　fiber　optics.