APAO 2027 Abstract Submission

General Guidelines for Submission

1. Formats

The APAO 2027 accepts Instruction Courses, Free Papers, Posters, E-posters and Videos.

2. Procedure

All abstracts must be submitted via the APAO Scientific Portal (https://congress.2027.apaophth.org). Submissions by other means, such as email, post, or fax, will NOT be processed.
The portal’s abstract submission function closes upon the deadline: September 7, 2026 (23:59). Early submission is recommended to avoid last-minute system congestion. Late entries will NOT be allowed.
You may use the “Save Draft” function to save any work in progress. Once you click the “Submit” button, modifications will no longer be possible.
Upon successful submission, you will receive an acknowledgment email within 24 hours. It contains an abstract number, which should be quoted in all future correspondence. In case you do not receive it, please contact submission@apaophth.org.
The Abstract Reviewing Committee will conduct a confidential peer review procedure, and its decision is final.
The submitter will be notified of the results by October 7, 2026.

3. Authors’ and Submitters’ Roles

Provide full names and affiliations of all authors as they should be published. Initials are accepted only for middle names.
The first author is the PRESENTING AUTHOR by default, but may delegate the role to a co-author if necessary. The presenting author must register for the Congress, pay the full registration fee, and attend the event to make the presentation in person.
For oral presentations, each individual can serve as the presenting author of up to three (3) free papers and as an instructor for up to three (3) instruction courses. There is no limit on the number of posters, e-posters, and videos one may present.
The SUBMITTER can be any of the authors or an authorized representative. They will be the contact person for all abstract-related matters, including result notifications. Please make sure they provide a correct email address which they regularly check.

4. Academic Requirements

Authors should ensure the study is conducted with sound methodology and has sufficient data leading to conclusive outcomes.
Each author must disclose any financial interest via the submission platform.
The abstract title and body text must NOT mention the names of any individuals or affiliated institutes (e.g. academic institutions, hospitals, eye centers). Violation of this rule will result in disqualification. Affiliations should be declared separately under author information.

5. Language and Structure

APAO 2027 accepts submissions in English only.
Authors should carefully proofread their work before submission and are responsible for ensuring the accuracy of facts, grammar and spelling.
Each abstract should contain a concise TITLE in AMA style. You may use online title capitalization tools as a quick reference.
The body text should include the following sections: PURPOSE, METHODS, RESULTS and CONCLUSIONS.
The combined length of the title and body text must NOT exceed 250 words.
Abbreviations should be avoided in the title. When used in the body text, each abbreviation should be defined the first time it appears by placing its full form in parentheses.
Do not include graphs, tables, images or references in the abstract.
Accepted abstracts are published as submitted to preserve the integrity of the authors’ original work. However, the Abstract Reviewing Committee, reserves the right to correct significant spelling and grammatical mistakes where necessary for clarity and to make formatting adjustments for consistency.

Copyright

The Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology holds the copyright to all the materials presented at the Congress and may reproduce the materials in any form for distribution.
Authors must obtain consent for any patient cases, personal names, images, videos, or audio employed within the abstract prior to submission. APAO disclaims responsibility for any elements used without the requisite authorization.
In instances of third-party allegations of plagiarism or misappropriation concerning an abstract, APAO reserves the right to remove the abstract from the scientific program upon verification of such claims without prior notice.

Additional Guidelines for Instruction Courses

For Instruction Courses, the FIRST AUTHOR is referred to as the CHIEF INSTRUCTOR while CO-AUTHORS are referred to as CO-INSTRUCTORS, with the general guidelines above applicable.
The chief instructor should submit a biography of themselves in less than 300 words, stating their expertise.
All instructors shall present at the Congress should the instruction course be accepted. Therefore, the chief instructor must obtain each co-instructor’s consent and ensure their availability before including their names. All instructors should register for the Congress, pay the full registration fee, and attend the session to deliver the course.
Once submitted, the chief instructor cannot be changed except under unforeseeable circumstances. Any request for change must be made in writing by the chief instructor at least 1 month before the Congress and sent to the APAO Secretariat, addressed to the Scientific Program Committee Chair, who has sole discretion.
Instruction courses on clinical sciences should present current and reasonably established information. Controversies and unestablished concepts should be submitted as free papers or posters.

Specifications for Videos

Video abstracts must be submitted along with the video file. All videos should be within 8 minutes, in MP4 format, and the file size must not exceed 500MB.
It is imperative to ascertain that requisite permissions have been secured for the utilization of all visual and auditory elements incorporated within the video. This encompasses the procurement of licenses for any copyrighted materials and the acquisition of informed consent documentation from patients or third parties identifiable within photographic, visual, or auditory content.

Guide for Abstract Selection Process

Authors may indicate their preferred presentation format upon initial submission. However, the final presentation format may be adjusted based on reviewer evaluations.

* Scoring thresholds varies across presentation formats.

Presenter Registration & Benefit

All presenters are required to complete congress registration and remit the associated fee. When registering, you must use the same email address as in your abstract submission.
Presenting authors will receive achievement points under the APAO Achievement Award Program upon completing their presentations at the Congress. If an abstract is reformatted (e.g., from Free Paper to Poster), the achievement points will be awarded based on the final presentation format.

Should you have any inquiries, kindly contact the congress secretariat at submission@apaophth.org.

All the times and dates mentioned on this page are in accordance with Singapore Time (GMT +8).