Journal dedicated to retinal diseases to expand publishing opportunities for booming subspecialty research area
SAN FRANCISCO – The American Academy of Ophthalmology today announced plans to launch a new scientific journal focused exclusively on retina-related eye diseases and conditions. The Academy is creating the Ophthalmology® Retina journal in response to the growing volume of high-quality research within the retina subspecialty of ophthalmology. It will provide a much-needed new channel through which these studies can be published sooner.
Ophthalmology Retina will publish original research that will be of strong interest to retina specialists globally. The new, print and on-line publication will be an extension of Ophthalmology, the journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, which is one of the most-read clinical publications within the medical specialty. Ophthalmology has an impact factor of 6.1 – the highest among clinical journals in the field. Ophthalmology Retina will benefit from the same experienced staff, an overlapping editorial board, high impact and expedient review and publication process as Ophthalmology. The new journal will also be published by the same company, Elsevier.
“Ophthalmology receives and publishes more manuscripts on retina-related topics than any other subspecialty,” said George B. Bartley, M.D., editor-in-chief of Ophthalmology and the Louis and Evelyn Krueger Professor of Ophthalmology at the Mayo Clinic. “In recent years, the retina subspecialty has made astonishing advances in medical drug treatment, surgery, technology and science. It was clear that we needed to provide retina researchers with more opportunities to get these exciting studies published as soon as possible.”
The Academy has been considering a retina-focused journal for several years. Plans took shape in the last two years as the volume and quality of retina research continued to accelerate.
“There is a tremendous surplus of high-quality retina manuscripts that deserve exposure,” said David W. Parke II, M.D., CEO of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. “Ophthalmology Retina will provide a premier outlet for this work. It will allow the Academy to better serve the scientific and ophthalmic communities by providing what we fully expect will be a very high-impact factor journal that builds upon the stature of the Academy’s industry-leading journal, Ophthalmology.”
The Academy is also announcing the appointment of Andrew P. Schachat, M.D., as editor-in-chief for Ophthalmology Retina. Dr. Schachat previously served as editor-in-chief of Ophthalmology from 2003-12. Since concluding his tenure, he has continued to serve as a senior editor for the publication, reviewing retina-related manuscripts. Dr. Schachat is the vice chairman of the Cole Eye Institute at the Cleveland Clinic and professor of ophthalmology at the Lerner College of Medicine.
Ophthalmology Retina will debut with the January/February 2017 issue. Authors seeking information can email aaojournal@aao.org.
About the American Academy of Ophthalmology
The American Academy of Ophthalmology is the world’s largest membership association of eye physicians and surgeons. A global community of 32,000 ophthalmologists, we are passionate about protecting sight and fighting preventable blindness. For more than 120 years, we have been educators, innovators and advocates for the public and our profession to ensure the highest-quality medical and surgical eye care. Our EyeSmart® program is a preeminent source of eye health information for the public and empowers people to preserve their vision. For more information, visit aao.org.
About Ophthalmology
Ophthalmology®, the official journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, publishes original, peer-reviewed, clinically-applicable research. Topics include the results of clinical trials, new diagnostic and surgical techniques, treatment methods, technology assessments, translational science reviews and editorials. For more information, visit www.aaojournal.org.
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