Objective To investigate the current status, barriers, and needs of research training among ophthalmology residents undergoing standardized residency training, and to provide recommendations for specialty-specific educational reform. Methods A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted among ophthalmology residents of the 2020-2025 cohorts enrolled in the standardized residency training program at West China Hospital, Sichuan University, from May to June 2026. The questionnaire covered demographic characteristics, research experience and outputs, barriers to research participation, training needs, satisfaction with current training, and career plans. Categorical variables were presented as numbers and percentages, and group comparisons were performed using the chi-square test or Fisher’s exact test. Results A total of 94 questionnaires were distributed, and 92 valid questionnaires were returned, with an effective response rate of 97.9%. The participants included 28 professional-degree master’s students (30.4%), 21 employer-sponsored residents (22.8%), and 43 socially recruited residents (46.7%). Before residency training, 44 participants (47.8%) had research experiences in academic projects or publications. During residency, 43 participants (46.7%) participated in research projects as core members, whereas 32 (34.8%) had not participated in any research projects at all. Research participation differed significantly among the three groups (P=0.001), while no significant difference was observed in career plan distribution (P=0.488). The main barriers to scientific research participation were heavy clinical workload (3.49±1.27) and insufficient time allocation (3.43±1.24). A total of 68 participants (73.9%) considered systematic research training necessary. Conclusions The major challenges in ophthalmology residency research training are conflicts between clinical responsibilities and research time. Training programs should establish a competency-based framework incorporating ophthalmology-specific clinical contexts, staged progression, and tailored support to enhance research capacity among residents.