Contents:
What is the submission deadline for paper/poster abstracts?
When will I be notified about the status of my abstract?
I do not have an Academy account; how can I submit my abstract?
Do I need to be a member of the Academy to submit an abstract?
I’m an optometrist, can I submit an abstract?
Can optometrists attend AAO 2023?
What are the different presentation formats? Do I have to attend to “present”?
Is there a maximum length for the abstract?
Is there a maximum length for titles?
What do I need to do about disclosures?
Do co-authors need to submit financial interest disclosures?
I’m employed by a commercial interest. May I submit an abstract?
If my abstract is accepted, how do I follow the disclosure policy at AAO 2023?
I want to publish my abstract and present at the Academy, what should I do?
Can I submit my research if it has already been published somewhere else?
Can I submit research that I have presented elsewhere?
I want to submit a paper. How should I indicate this on my submission?
Can I submit an ORIGINAL PAPER (podium presentation) in one of the following subjects: Electronic Health Records/Information Technology, Ethics, General Medical, Global Ophthalmology, Medical Education, Ophthalmic History, Vision Rehabilitation or Wellness?
If my abstract is accepted as an ePoster Only, do I have to attend the meeting?
Can I submit a Late Breaking abstract?
What is the submission deadline for paper/poster abstracts?
The AAO 2023 submission deadline is April 11 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific time.
When will I be notified about the status of my abstract?
Paper/poster abstract status (accepted or rejected) will be sent by email to Submitting Authors by the end of July.
It is the responsibility of the Submitting Author to contact the Academy if notification is not received by the end of July.
Final schedules, with date and time for in-person presentations, (original papers and presented e-posters) will be emailed to the Presenting Author by the end of July. The Presenting Author is the author listed first. It is the responsibility of the Presenting Author to contact the Academy if the schedule is not received within two weeks following the published notification date.
If the author submitting the abstract and the Presenting Author are different, first confirm any schedule questions with the Presenting Author. Once the final schedule is released to the Presenting Author, the Academy will continue to communicate ONLY with the Presenter.
Accepted presenters scheduled for live presentations are expected to register and pay any applicable fees to attend AAO 2023.
I do not have an Academy account; how can I submit my abstract?
All submissions are accepted through the Academy's website; individuals submitting abstracts need to use an existing user account or create one. All Academy members (present and past), past program participants and those who have ever attended an Academy meeting already have an Academy user account.
Having an Academy user account DOES NOT automatically mean that the individual is a dues-paying member of the Academy. American Academy of Ophthalmology membership requires Board approval and annual payment of any applicable fees.
Do I need to be a member of the Academy to submit an abstract?
No, but all submissions must include at least one Academy Fellow or Member (including residents who have become Members in Training) or Candidate for Membership as an author. Annual membership dues or proof of residency documentation must be up to date for the Member author to qualify for this abstract submission process.
- The Presenting Author does not need to be a member of the Academy.
- Abstracts that do not have at least one member in current standing will NOT be reviewed.
Obtain information regarding Academy membership or send an email to member_services@aao.org.
I’m an optometrist, can I submit an abstract?
Members of the American Academy of Optometry are invited to submit abstracts as an Instructor/Author. The submission must include at least one American Academy of Ophthalmology Fellow or Member or Candidate for Membership as an author.
Can optometrists attend AAO 2023?
Only optometrists who are members of the American Academy of Optometry and who have been selected for presentation may attend AAO 2023. If optometrists included on an accepted abstract are not members of the American Academy of Optometry, they may not attend AAO 2023.
What are the different presentation formats? Do I have to attend to “present”?
Accepted abstracts may be scheduled for the following types of formats:
In-Person Presentation
- Original Paper: Podium presentation with a panel. The presenter must send their condensed manuscript to the panel four (4) weeks before the meeting. All papers are scheduled for in-person presentation.
- Poster Theater: Moderated e-poster presentations in a small theater setting. Posters are shared with the moderator prior to the meeting. The electronic posters are displayed on a large monitor for this presentation.
- Poster Discussion: Fast-paced poster discussion group, scheduled by topic, where the group of four (4) selected presenters act as the panel, leading the discussion for each other's presentations. These sessions are 30 minutes total with four posters.
Presenters of in-person presentations are expected to register and attend AAO 2023.
Electronic Presentation
- ePoster Only: Accepted posters that are not scheduled for an in-person presentation or a poster discussion. Authors are NOT required to attend the meeting. Posters must be submitted prior to the meeting.
Is there a maximum length for the abstract?
Yes, 1000 characters – NOT including spaces. This is approximately 150-250 words. The online submission application will keep track of and display the used character count in the text box.
Preparation Tips:
- Avoid “falsely” exceeding the character limits when you copy and paste your abstract from a prepared document – documents frequently contain RICH TEXT which means there is hidden formatting. Hidden formatting characters, HTML, will count against the total character limit. You may type directly into the abstract text box but should save the page frequently.
- Keep a backup copy of your abstract as PLAIN TEXT: Sticky notes, Notepad or save your source document as a plain text file.
- TIMING OUT: There is a “time-out” after 20 minutes. If you do not select “Continue” at the bottom, nothing will be saved. You can return to the overview page to make edits as often as needed - updates will only be applied to your submission when you select “Continue” at the bottom of the page. When you attempt to save after the time expires, a Critical Error warning will appear; Academy staff cannot retrieve the text as it was NOT saved.
- Do not add special formatting (underlining, unnecessary bolding, bullet points, hard returns after main headings) when preparing the submission. Only the main headings should be bolded.
- There is no submit button, you have access to make changes as often as needed up until the deadline. All abstracts that are complete by the deadline will be passed on for review.
Is there a maximum length for titles?
The recommended length is 120 characters. The text box for the title will not count spaces. Do not repeat the title in the abstract body field.
What do I need to do about disclosures?
Program participants are required to disclose whether or not they have entered into any ophthalmology-related financial interests over the past 24 months. Each submitter is prompted to enter financial interest disclosure information at the initial login to the abstract system. The Academy requires all program presenters to complete disclosures online before their presentations.
Do co-authors need to submit financial interest disclosures?
The Academy considers the Presenting Authors, not co-authors, to be in control of the educational content. Though they are acknowledged, co-authors do not have control of content and their disclosures are not published or resolved.
I’m employed by a commercial interest. May I submit an abstract?
Presenters who are employed by a commercial interest may be permitted to present under limited circumstances:
- When the content is not related to the business lines or products of their employer/company.
- When the content is limited to basic science research (e.g., pre-clinical research, drug discovery) or the methodologies of research, and they do not make care recommendations.
- As technicians in Skills Transfer Labs limited to demonstrating the safe and proper use of medical devices and do not recommend whether or when a device is used.
Academy presentations may not be used for commercial promotion.
If my abstract is accepted, how do I follow the disclosure policy at AAO 2023?
Presenters are required to display financial relationships on the first slide of their original paper presentation, electronic poster or video. This is required even if the presenter has no financial interest. The presenter should also verbally disclose any financial interest relevant to the presentation.
Even with disclosure, presentations should never promote the use of any commercial product.
Learn more about Your Role in CME.
I want to publish my abstract and present at the Academy, what should I do?
Academy submission policy states that Ophthalmology has the first right of refusal on all AAO 2023 presentations. To meet the requirements of this policy, your manuscript should first be submitted to Ophthalmology for review. This can be done at any time, even before the July notification of the status of the submission. If Ophthalmology does not wish to publish the manuscript, the copyright is considered RELEASED and authors are free to submit to other publications. Even with the rejection from Ophthalmology, the selection committee could still accept the submission for presentation at AAO 2023.
If the manuscript has already been rejected by Ophthalmology, authors are already in compliance with the Academy submission policy. If the research is rejected by Ophthalmology and then approved for publication elsewhere, the material should not appear online or in print until after AAO 2023.
Can I submit my research if it has already been published somewhere else?
Was it submitted to Ophthalmology before this other publication? The Annual Meeting Program Committee gives greater priority to original work. Abstracts that have been published can only be submitted to AAO 2023 if they were rejected by Ophthalmology prior to their publication in another journal.
Authors should ask themselves if they can give first right of refusal to Ophthalmology (this includes Ophthalmology Retina and Ophthalmology Glaucoma). If they cannot, the abstract should NOT be submitted to the Academy.
Can I submit research that I have presented elsewhere?
Yes, previously presented material may be submitted for review but ONLY when the presentation given is not bound by the copyright of another organization. It is the responsibility of the submitting author(s) to clarify if their work is under copyright with another organization.
I only want to present a paper. How should I indicate this on my submission?
Typically, the selection committee will choose the presentation format. If an author selects PAPER ONLY their abstract will be limited. Abstracts that cannot be accepted as PAPER ONLY will be rejected.
Selecting ‘paper/poster’ gives the author the best chance for acceptance.
Can I submit an ORIGINAL PAPER (podium presentation) in one of the following subjects: Electronic Health Records/Information Technology, Ethics, General Medical, Global Ophthalmology, Medical Education, Ophthalmic History, Vision Rehabilitation or Wellness?
No, abstracts submitted in those subjects will be considered as posters since there are no Original Paper sessions for these topics.
If my abstract is accepted as ePoster Only, do I have to attend the meeting?
No. While we welcome all authors, ePoster Only presentations are not scheduled for in-person presentations and authors are not required to attend the meeting. All accepted posters are available On Demand through the meeting platform and authors are able to add narration once the poster file is uploaded.
Can I submit a Late Breaking abstract?
No. Paper/poster submissions do not include a Late Breaking abstract submission process.