2019 Year in Review:
Bold Ideas and Visionary Technology
2019 was another banner year for the Academy. From launching an education app to setting public outreach records and raising funds for a new museum, our community continues to advance the frontiers of our knowledge. Following are highlights of our most notable achievements.
Clinical Education: We've Got an App for That!
In response to popular demand, the Academy launched the free AAO Ophthalmic Education App (iPhone l Android). Now, from the convenience of your mobile device, you can get trusted information quickly with a personalized content feed. Receive alerts as new content is published, bookmark articles and videos, test yourself with weekly case quizzes, reference EyeWiki® articles and log in to the full AAO.org site with a single click. Knowledge is power.
Sometimes, One Equals Thousands
The Academy’s Ophthalmic News and Education (ONE®) Network is a treasure trove of clinical articles and media, free to all members. The past year saw hundreds of additions to the collections of videos, news and CME activities, maintaining its reign as the world’s largest online compendium of ophthalmic knowledge.
IRIS Registry Saves Ophthalmologists $208 Million
For U.S. members, participating in the IRIS® Registry (Intelligent Research in Sight) is the best way to report quality measures for the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS). In 2018, we avoided more penalties than ever.
Members Stepped Up for the New Museum of the Eye
In late 2017, the Academy Foundation embraced an audacious goal to raise $12 million for a new, brick-and-mortar museum at Academy headquarters in San Francisco. The wheels were set in motion when we received record-breaking gifts from Stanley M. Truhlsen, MD, and Michael F. Marmor, MD. By the end of 2019, we surpassed $11 million, thanks to the benevolence of our members, industry sponsors and the public. The Truhlsen-Marmor Museum of the Eye™ will be the only publicly accessible, comprehensive collection of ophthalmic artifacts on permanent display in the world. It will open in early 2020.
Inspiration Connected Us at AAO 2019
Bold ideas. Powerful insights. At AAO 2019, nearly 23,000 of us connected, discussed, debated and strategized. And some of you made it into our Highlights Video.
AAO 2019 Scientific Program by the Numbers:
- 297 AAO & AAOE instruction courses
- 60 spotlights/symposia
- 88 Skills Transfer labs & didactics
- 87 papers
- 544 scientific posters
- 55 surgical videos
Register and book your hotel room for AAO 2020 starting April 8.
EyeSmart Broke Records with 3 Million Monthly Page Views
The public is hungry for reliable eye health information, and the Academy delivers.
EyeSmart®, the Academy’s public education website, crossed another milestone in 2019, achieving more than 3 million page views a month. That’s 3 million chances for a reader to avoid misinformation and protect their sight. Ophthalmology practices are encouraged to link their websites and social media channels to EyeSmart.
We Spanned the Globe
Through the Rotary Club Host Project and the Education Distribution Project, the Academy furthers the education of our colleagues in developing countries who in turn provide sight-saving care to thousands of patients.
In 2019, Global Outreach:
- Distributed more than 400 bags of books to AAO 2019 attendees
- Provided 136 full sets of the 13-volume BCSC
- Hosted 46 ophthalmologists at AAO 2019 (photo)
- Provided ONE Network access to 53,119 ophthalmologists in 65 developing countries
Our Membership Is Evolving
As the Academy’s membership demographics and practice settings shift and the pace of change intensifies, we’re developing new programs like the physician wellness initiative to support you and your practice.
Academy Revenue and Expenses for Fiscal 2018-19