Submission Instructions

The online abstract submitter for AAO 2021 papers/posters will open March 11 and close April 13, 2021.

General Information

Abstract Submission

Complete all three required sections of the abstract submitter - in English. Failure to complete the required fields will result in an incomplete abstract. Incomplete abstracts will not be reviewed. All accepted submissions for AAO 2021 are to be presented in English.

Completed submissions will be anonymously graded by the Reviewers of the Annual Meeting Program Committee (AMPC). Name(s) of author(s) and statements of affiliation are not allowed in the title or abstract text.

Prepare the abstract components in advance. Submissions are assessed for presentation and the quality of the abstract. Review the Frequently Asked Questions and Submission Policies for more information.

The online application will not work well with Firefox, Safari or older versions of Internet Explorer. For the best results, use the most recent version of Chrome. You can download Chrome for free.

Timing Out: The submission system saves the abstract when the author selects “Continue” at the end of each page. The system will time out after 20 minutes and will not save ANY of the text entered unless the save feature is activated. To keep edits, save frequently and click back to the section you are working on using the navigation on the left.

Once the submission is complete, use the feature to save a PDF copy of the submission. Keeping a record and backup of the submission is advised. Abstracts can be changed until the deadline, there is no "final submit" button. If you make updates, be sure that the submission has not been rendered incomplete; examples: exceeding abstract text limit; removal of an author who was the only member of the Academy.

Presentation Format

All abstracts are reviewed as possible paper or poster presentations with the AMPC making the final decision. Submitting authors may wish to limit their abstract to paper only or e-poster only. If this option is selected and the author preference cannot be met, the abstract will be rejected. Abstracts with no limit have the best chance of being accepted.

The selection committee gives greater priority to work that is groundbreaking, that will impact practice patterns or that has clinical implications.

Live Presentation

The following types of presentations are live, scheduled events at AAO 2021:

Original Paper: The AMPC chooses submissions to be presented as papers based on originality, clinical relevance, comprehensiveness and as a stimulus for prepared discussion. Original scientific paper presentations will be followed by a panel and audience discussion. Paper presenters MUST prepare a condensed manuscript for the panelist 4 weeks before the meeting. Accepted paper presenters will be sent the condensed manuscript form to complete with further instructions. The BEST paper for each session will be selected by the panel and announced at the end. The Academy does not allow one person to present two papers within the same Original Paper session. If an author has two scientific papers scheduled for the same session, an alternate speaker must present one of the papers.

Poster: The AMPC chooses submissions to be presented as posters if they are single case studies and instrument reports with graphic material, have clinical photographs or concepts which lend themselves well to contemplation, or do not require an in-depth discussion with a panel following the presentation. All poster presenters are required to submit an electronic poster prior to the meeting. There are no physical posters. Abstracts accepted as a poster may also be scheduled for one of the following formats:

• Poster Theater: A concise presentation is given using the electronic poster. A short, moderated audience question period follows each speaker.
• Poster Discussion: A poster discussion group lead by peer-presenters using their electronic poster. The individual presentations are rapid-fire, and the poster groups are scheduled in 30-minute sessions. Each poster group is selected because the combination of their topics creates a cohesive session.

Electronic Only Presentation

Posters not selected to be presented in the Poster Theater or as part of Poster Discussions, are ePoster only presentations. ePoster only and video presentations are not considered live presentations and authors are not required to attend the meeting.

Paper/e-poster abstracts submitted under the following categories will be considered as ePOSTER ONLY since there are no live presentation sessions for these topics:

• Electronic Health Records, Information Technology
• Ethics
• General Medical
• Global Ophthalmology
• Medical Education
• Ophthalmic History
• Vision Rehabilitation
• Wellness

Submission

Title

The title of an abstract may not exceed 120 characters.

Use title case when entering your abstract (both upper-and lowercase letters as appropriate). No special formatting is needed. Do not bold, underline or italicize the title.

Is the title descriptive of the abstract? Does the title avoid gratuitous statements and irrelevant information? Name(s) of author(s) and statements of affiliation are not allowed in the title or the abstract. Abstract review is anonymous.

Overview

Topic Selection

Please refer to the list of main subject classifications. Detailed topics are listed under these main classifications. Be as specific as possible when making your selection; you may only select one topic.

Abstract Body

The title should NOT be added to the abstract body text field; it is redundant and will use up valuable space. The following headings with formatting are required for paper/poster submissions and are pre-populated in the online application:

Purpose:    Methods:    Results:    Conclusion:

The final abstract body should appear as one full paragraph with NO hard returns after each section.

Case reports are accepted for review. If the abstract reports on a single case study or is a video abstract, these headings are not required.

When you write your abstract, ask yourself: is the abstract specific as possible? The following are frequently forgotten: sample size, study duration and follow-up, and descriptions of the novel and non-standard techniques used. Abstracts with statements such as "will be done," "will be studied," "will be underway," "will be analyzed," will not be selected. Abstracts cannot be appended past the April deadline.

The character count for the abstract body is 1000 characters. This is approximately 120-200 words. If the abstract is too long, it will not be successfully submitted.

The online submitter application will automatically count any hidden formatting in the abstract when text is copy/pasted into the abstract body field. To avoid exceeding the character limits, paste only simple text. Use the formatting features above the text box to add symbols and formatting.

Before submitting, did you proofread your abstract? Concise and clear abstracts are graded well. Misspellings and typographical errors reflect badly on the research.

When using abbreviations within the abstract text, first include the complete term followed by the abbreviation in parenthesis. Example: Vitreous Loss (VL).

Study Design

A list of study designs is provided. Read through the descriptions and select the one your research follows. If you used a design not on the list, enter it in the space provided. Note: Animal studies tend to be rejected.

Précis

Paper/poster submissions require a Précis (460 characters) as part of the application. The Précis is a concise summary of the abstract and should not duplicate the conclusion. This text will not be published and is for the use of the selection committee.

Background Statement

Paper/poster submissions require a Background Statement (250 characters) as part of the application. This is an opportunity to relay additional information to the selection committee and should not be an exact duplication of the abstract text. The Background Statement is a succinct statement explaining the background of why this study was undertaken or reported. This text will not be published and is for the use of the selection committee.

Authors

Presenter/ Co-author(s)

Each author is limited to two paper/poster submissions as Presenting Author, and inclusion on up to four total abstracts per meeting. The author listed first is considered to be the Presenter.

Exception: These limits do not apply to videos, but they are encouraged.

• Changes to author lists will not be allowed after the submission if the change would result in the limits being exceeded.
• The Academy reserves the right to disqualify submissions that exceed these limits.
• If a presenter change is requested, financial disclosures for the proposed presenter will be evaluated by the AMPC before the change is approved. Presentation limits apply to the new presenter.

Submitting authors are required to provide contact information for all co-authors. Use the lookup feature in the online application to add authors by their user/member accounts. If an author cannot be found in the Academy database, provide their full, professional name, as well as an accurate and unique email address. The Academy will contact the author using the email address provided and request that the author create an Academy user account. Please note that an author’s name can only be listed as a co-author if the author has an Academy user account.

Policy requires that at least one of the authors is a current member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. The submission system will match authors to the Academy database and will indicate if there is a member included. Green “Satisfied” text will display when this requirement has been completed.

Members of the American Academy of Optometry (AAO) are invited to submit paper/poster 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. Only optometrists who are members of the American Academy of Optometry and who have been selected for presentation may attend AAO 2021. If optometrists included on an accepted abstract are not members of the American Academy of Optometry, they may not attend AAO 2021.

Other Information

Submitters should be prepared to enter the following information into the application:

• Do any of the authors have relevant financial interest? (YES/NO)
• Is the Presenting Author industry employed? (YES/NO)
• Is the research approved by an IRB or equivalent body? (YES/NO/NO, NOT REQUIRED)
• I verify that the abstract follows submission policy regarding copyright as described in the submission guidelines. (YES/NO)
• I understand that submission of an abstract constitutes a commitment to present if scheduled for a live presentation. If my abstract is accepted as a paper, I will be required to prepare a condensed manuscript four weeks before the annual meeting. If my abstract is accepted as a poster, I will be required to submit an electronic poster prior to the annual meeting. There will be no physical posters. 

Copyright Policy

The American Academy of Ophthalmology and Ophthalmology journal (including Ophthalmology Retina and Ophthalmology Glaucoma) have a copyright agreement that gives Ophthalmology the first right of refusal on accepted papers and posters at AAO 2020. Authors submitting to the Academy for review are required to read and follow the policy regarding copyright; failure to do so will jeopardize their chances for presentation. The most important question authors should ask of their submission is: Can I give Ophthalmology the first right of refusal for this material?

The Academy holds copyright on all scientific material presented at its annual meeting until and unless such material is found unsuitable for publication in Ophthalmology. Should an author wish to publish their material elsewhere, it may not be submitted for consideration until Ophthalmology has released the presenter from any copyright obligations.

Contact aaojournal@aao.org for questions about the Ophthalmology submission process.

The AMPC gives greater priority to original work. If the research is released by Ophthalmology and then approved for publication elsewhere, the material should not appear online or in print until after AAO 2021. See below for further explanation: