Submission Instructions

The online abstract submitter for AAO 2020 Instruction Courses and new Skills Transfer labs is now closed.

Beginning with AAO 2020, the Annual Meeting Program Committee will enforce its abstract submission limit of two (2) submissions as Senior Instructor. For previously offered courses, Senior Instructors are encouraged to plan for a future transition by adding junior faculty to their current courses. It is recommended that individuals present on no more than four courses total.

All required sections of the abstract submitter must be complete. Failure to complete the required fields will result in an incomplete abstract. Incomplete abstracts are not reviewed.

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

On this page:

• Status of Submitted Course Abstract
• Title
• Senior and Co-Instructors
• Subject Classification
• Course Abstract
• Course Outline
• Application
• Withdraw Abstract
• Practice Management Instruction Courses
• New and Reinvited Skills Transfer Labs

Status of Submitted Course Abstract

New Course: Course is being submitted for the FIRST time for consideration in the Academy's Instruction Course program.

To submit a new Instruction Course abstract, enter the title and select Create.

Previously Offered Course: The course has been offered within the last three years.

The abstract submitter will list any instruction course you presented within the last three years. To resubmit a course, select the course title and follow the instructions to update your abstract. Resubmitted courses will compete with all other new course applications; it will have no special priority because of its previous presentation.

All selected courses will be offered for one year. If a course has been offered previously it will be reviewed by the Annual Meeting Program Committee to determine if

1. it is continuing to fulfill the needs of the Academy's annual meeting attendees;
2. it is attracting reasonably-sized audiences;
3. there is meeting room space available.

If you are passing a previously offered instruction course on to a new Senior Instructor, either the new Senior Instructor or you must log onto the submitter using your login information in order to update the information. This includes changing the author order. Do not create a new instruction course.

Title

The title of an abstract may not exceed 120 characters. Please use title case when entering your abstract (use both upper-and lowercase letters as appropriate). No extra formatting is needed.

Senior and Co-Instructors

A maximum of five instructors (including senior instructor) is recommended per course hour. A minimum of four confirmed panelists is recommended for panel discussions.

You are required to provide contact information for all instructors. If an instructor does not exist within the Academy's database, please add the instructor by providing the name and an accurate and unique email address. The Academy will contact the instructor using the email address provided and request that the instructor create an Academy user account.

Please note that an instructor’s name can only be published if the instructor has an Academy user account.

Beginning with AAO 2020, the Academy will no longer provide complimentary registration to nonmember presenters who are ophthalmologists. Nonmember ophthalmologists who plan on attending the meeting are encouraged to become Academy members, as meeting registration is a member benefit.

Subject Classification/Suggested Course Topics

Please refer to the list of main subject classifications. More specific topics are listed under these main classifications. Please be as specific as possible when selecting your subject classification. You may only select one subject.

NOTE: MIPS abstracts should be submitted as a Practice Management/AAOE Instruction Course.

Course Abstract

Provide a two-part structure abstract describing the synopsis and objective(s) of the course.

• Course synopsis describes the material to be presented in the course.
• Course objective(s) define the specific measurable outcomes expected for the attendee and should complete the sentence, "At the conclusion of this course, the attendee will be able to…"

Do not use proprietary names alone in the title or the body of the abstract. If necessary, you may include a proprietary name in parentheses directly after the generic name on first use in the body of the abstract. The American Academy of Ophthalmology reserves the right to replace proprietary names with generic names.

The abstract may not exceed 1000 characters (approximately 100 words with spaces). 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.

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.

Course Outline

A course outline must be submitted for ALL course submissions, regardless of whether or not the course has been presented before. The outline must present a moderate amount of detail about the main points of the course. Please include one page per course hour. You will be asked to upload your course outline. Please prepare your outline prior to submitting the course abstract.

Application

You will be required to answer the following questions:

Education Level: Basic (Introductory)/Intermediate/Advanced

Format
Select the format that best represents the presentation style of your content.

NOTE: Interactive
A limited number of hours have been reserved for courses that include an interactive component. Accepted courses with this format will be scheduled in a room with small group seating, intended to encourage interaction between attendees. Please include a description in your course outline of how your course will be interactive.

Note: Selecting Interactive will not reduce the chances of your course being accepted or guarantee placement in the "interactive room." If we are not able to schedule the course in the interactive course room, it will be scheduled in a standard course room.

Target Audience: Comprehensive Ophthalmologists/Subspecialists/Both

Hours Requested: 1 or 2. The selection committee will determine the number of course hours based on your request and the abstract. Priority will be given to courses that can be successfully presented in the least time.

Financial Disclosure: Do you or any of your co-instructors have a financial interest relevant to this presentation?

Industry Employed: Are you or any of your co-instructors employed by industry?

Cosponsoring Organization: Academy committees and subspecialty organizations represented on the Academy's Council are eligible to cosponsor a course. Cosponsored courses may not be submitted without the prior knowledge and approval of the cosponsoring organization.

Background Statement: Provide a succinct statement explaining why this topic should be addressed at the Academy's annual meeting. What general clinical or patient need led you to submit this abstract? You may use up to 250 characters, approximately 40 words, with spaces. (Examples: Need for a more effective treatment for macular edema or need for a review of techniques for managing cataract complications).

The Background Statement is an opportunity to provide additional information to the Annual Meeting Program Committee on the clinical relevance of your course. The text will not be published and is for the use of the selection committee.

State Society Presentation: Would you be willing to present the material at a state society meeting? Are you a state society member?

Special Audio Visual Requirements: Will your course require any special AV support? Please list.

Special AV support is any equipment or service required beyond the standard room set up and may not be able to be accommodated. Examples are 3D projection, Ethernet connection and video recording or streaming.

Standard room set ups are further defined in the Program Participant and Faculty Guidelines.

Withdraw Abstract

To withdraw your abstract from consideration, select Withdraw Abstract. You may withdraw your abstract at any time until the deadline. By selecting withdraw, your abstract will not be forwarded to the Annual Meeting Program Committee for review.

Once an abstract is withdrawn, it cannot be reinstated. You must complete a new abstract to have it considered by the Annual Meeting Program Committee.

Practice Management Instruction Courses

To submit a new practice management instruction course, select Practice Management/AAOE Instruction Course as the abstract type and select Create.

The abstract submitter will list any Practice Management/AAOE Instruction Course you presented within the last three years. To resubmit a course, select the course title and follow the instructions to update your abstract.

Practice Management/AAOE Instruction Courses are not required to have a member as an instructor.

New and Reinvited Skills Transfer Labs

New Skills Transfer lab abstracts for AAO 2020 must be submitted by the Jan. 14, 2020 deadline.

Select "New Skills Transfer Lab" as the submission type and select "Create". You will be required to complete additional questions regarding lab requirements.

Directors of Skills Transfer labs and didactics presented at AAO 2019 will be sent information on the status of their course in January.