Contents:
What is the submission deadline for paper/poster abstracts?
When will I be notified about the status of my abstract?
If accepted, when will I receive the schedule information?
If accepted, do I have to pay to register? Are all accepted presenters required to attend the meeting?
What are the different presentation formats?
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 2024?
If the abstract is accepted, does the presenter have to attend?
Is there a maximum length for the abstract?
Is there a maximum length for titles?
What do I need to do about financial 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 2024?
I want to publish my abstract and present at the Academy. How should I do this?
Can I submit my research if it has already been published somewhere else?
Can I submit research that I have presented elsewhere?
I only want to present a paper. How should I indicate this on my submission?
Can I limit my abstract to Paper Only for the following subjects: Electronic Health Records/Information Technology, Ethics, General Medical, General Non-Medical, Global Ophthalmology, Medical Education, Ophthalmic History, Vision Rehabilitation, or Wellness?
If my abstract is accepted as an On-Demand Poster, do I have to attend the meeting?
Can I withdraw my abstract?
Can I submit a Late Breaking abstract?
What is the submission deadline for paper/poster abstracts?
The AAO 2024 submission deadline was April 9 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time.
When will I be notified about the status of my abstract?
By mid-July, the Submitting Author can expect to receive an email explaining that their submission was either accepted or rejected. All further scheduling notifications for accepted abstracts will be sent to the presenting author. It is the responsibility of the author listed first, the presenter, to contact the American Academy of Ophthalmology (Academy) if notification is not received by the end of July.
If accepted, when will I receive the schedule information?
Final schedules, with date and time for in-person presentations (original papers, podium posters and poster discussions), 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 of the published notification date.
Once the final schedule is released to the Presenting Author, the Academy will communicate ONLY with the presenting author.
If accepted, do I have to pay to register? Are all accepted presenters required to attend the meeting?
Submitting an abstract is an agreement to present if accepted. Presenters scheduled for in-person, live presentations are expected to register and pay any applicable fees required to attend AAO 2024 in person. The scheduling notification will clarify if the abstract is selected for a session that is in-person.
What are the different presentation formats?
Accepted abstracts may be scheduled for the following types of formats:
In-Person Presentation
Presenters of in-person presentations are expected to register and attend AAO 2024.
-
Original Paper: Podium presentation with a panel. The presenter must send their condensed manuscript to the panel four (4) weeks before the meeting.
-
Podium Poster: Moderated poster session in a small theater setting. Posters are uploaded typically 4 weeks in advance and shared with the moderator. The uploaded poster files are displayed on a large monitor for this presentation.
-
Poster Discussion: Fast-paced poster session, scheduled by topic, where the group of selected presenters act as the panel and participate in the discussion for each other's posters. These sessions are 30 minutes total with four posters.
On-Demand Presentation
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 should 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.
Do I need to be a member of the Academy to submit an abstract?
No, but all submissions must include at least one author who is either an Academy Fellow, Member (including residents who have become Members in Training), or Candidate for Membership. Annual membership dues or proof of residency documentation must be up to date for the Member author to meet this requirement of the abstract submission process.
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.
Obtain information regarding Academy membership or send an email query 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, Member or Candidate for Membership as an author.
Can optometrists attend AAO 2024?
Optometrists who are members of the American Academy of Optometry and who have been selected for presentation may attend AAO 2024. If optometrists included on an accepted abstract are not members of the American Academy of Optometry, they may not attend AAO 2024.
If the abstract is accepted, does the presenter have to attend?
Presenters of in-person presentations are expected to register for and attend AAO 2024 in Chicago.
Is there a maximum length for the abstract?
Yes, the maximum length for abstracts is 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 copying and pasting the abstract from a prepared document. Make sure it is not a rich text (.rtf) document that has hidden formatting characters (e.g. HTML) as that will count against the total character limit.
-
Submitting authors may type directly into the abstract text box.
-
Save a backup copy of the submission as a Plain Text file using Sticky Notes, Notepad, or a word processing program.
-
There is a "time-out" after 20 minutes. Save each page frequently.
-
Click continue at the bottom and then navigate back to the overview to continue to update. Changes are not saved until clicking "continue".
-
Attempts to save after the time expires result in a “Critical Error” warning. Academy staff cannot retrieve information entered as it was NOT saved. Navigate back to that page and start over.
-
Do not add special formatting (underlining, unnecessary bolding, bullet points, hard returns after main headings) to the submission. Only the main headings should be in bold.
-
There is no "Submit" button. The submitting author has access to the site to make changes as often as needed up until the deadline. Coauthors cannot log in to view or make changes.
-
All abstracts that have clicked through/saved information on each required field are considered complete. Academy staff will pass on abstracts for review that are complete at the deadline.
Is there a maximum length for titles?
The recommended length for abstract titles 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 financial disclosures?
Program participants are required to disclose whether they have participated in any ophthalmology-related financial interests over the past 24 months. Each submitting author will be 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?
Coauthors are encouraged, but not required, to complete disclosures. The Academy considers the Presenting Authors, not coauthors, to be in control of the educational content. Though coauthors are acknowledged, they 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 abstract content is not related to the business lines or products of their employer/company.
-
When the abstract content is limited to basic science research (e.g., preclinical research, drug discovery) or the methodologies of research, and the authors 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 2024?
Presenters are required to display financial relationships on the first slide of their original paper presentation, 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. How should I do this?
Academy submission policy states that Ophthalmology has the first right of refusal on all AAO 2024 presentations. To meet the requirements of this policy, manuscripts 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 if Ophthalmology rejects the submission, the AMPC could still accept it for presentation at AAO 2024.
If a manuscript has already been rejected by Ophthalmology, its authors are in compliance with this requirement of 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 2024.
Can I submit my research if it has already been published somewhere else?
The Annual Meeting Program Committee gives priority to original work. Academy submission policy states that Ophthalmology has the first right of refusal on all AAO 2024 presentations. Abstracts that have already been published can only be submitted to AAO 2024 if they were rejected by Ophthalmology prior to their publication in another journal. Submit manuscripts electronically to Elsevier.
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 determine whether 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 a Submitting Author selects “PAPER ONLY,” their acceptance opportunities will be limited; if it cannot be accepted as PAPER ONLY, it will be rejected.
Selecting “No Limit” gives the author the best chance for acceptance.
Can I limit my abstract to Paper Only for the following subjects: Electronic Health Records/Information Technology, Ethics, General Medical, General Non-Medical, Global Ophthalmology, Medical Education, Ophthalmic History, Vision Rehabilitation, or Wellness?
No, abstracts submitted in those subjects will be considered as On-Demand Posters only since there are no podium presentation sessions for these topics.
If my abstract is accepted as an On-Demand Poster, do I have to attend the meeting?
No. While we welcome all authors, on-demand posters are uploaded in advance and made available to attendees on-demand through the meeting platform. These posters are not scheduled for in-person presentations and authors are not required to attend AAO 2024. Authors may add narration as part of the advance upload process.
Can I withdraw my abstract?
The submitting author may withdraw a submission at any time until the deadline. To withdraw the abstract from consideration, select Withdraw Abstract from within the submission. Once an abstract is withdrawn it will not be reviewed and it cannot be reinstated. By submitting an abstract, the author agrees to present if accepted.
Can I submit a Late Breaking abstract?
No, there are no late-breaking sessions. April 9 is the deadline for all papers and posters.