[Objective] This study aims to systematically review the research progress in the field of the ecological environment of key lakes in the Yangtze River Economic Belt. By using bibliometric methods, it identifies the research hotspots, development trajectories, and cutting-edge trends to fill the gap of systematic review studies in this field and provide scientific references for subsequent research and policymaking. [Methods] Based on the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) and the Web of Science (WOS) core databases, this study retrieved Chinese and English literature related to the ecological environment of key lakes in the Yangtze River Economic Belt from 1979 to now, with a final inclusion of 5,081 Chinese and 2,243 English articles. Using CiteSpace 6.3.R1 software, we conducted keyword co-occurrence analysis, cluster analysis, burst word detection, and timeline map drawing. A multidimensional visualization analysis was performed from the aspects of annual publication volume, research hotspots, and evolutionary trends. [Results] (1) The annual publication volume can be divided into four stages: initial stage (1979-1995, with an average of less than 50 publications per year), slow growth (1996-2003), rapid growth (2004-2015), and increasing international influence (2016 to now). National policies and major environmental events (such as the Taihu Lake algae bloom event) significantly affected the research process. (2) The research hotspots are concentrated on five major themes: mechanisms and treatment of lake eutrophication, characteristics and risk assessment of water quality and sediment pollution, driving effects of climate change and human activities on lake ecology, ecological restoration and biodiversity conservation, and applications of remote sensing and intelligent monitoring technologies. (3) The research frontiers are shifting from early localized pollution control to multidimensional and systematic studies. This is prominently reflected in the strong burst words in recent years, such as “climate change” (2022 to now), “landscape pattern” (2015 to now), and “ecosystem services” (2019-2021), which indicate an increasing focus on the synergy of social-ecological systems and the relationship between lakes and rivers. [Conclusions] The research on the ecological environment of lakes in the Yangtze River Economic Belt has formed a complete research chain from problem identification to driver analysis and then to governance response, and has developed a distinct theoretical and practical system. Future research should further strengthen the study of multi-scale coupling mechanisms, the optimization of cross-regional ecological compensation and land use control mechanisms for lakes and deepen the application of nature-based solutions (NbS) in lake restoration to support the ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt.