Abstract Submission

APAO 2026 Abstract Submission

Deadline: September 1, 2025 [23:59 Hong Kong Time (GMT +8)]

Formats
- The APAO 2026 accepts Instruction Course, Free Paper, Poster, E-poster and Video

Procedure
- All abstracts must be submitted via the congress system at https://congress.2026.apaophth.org. Submissions by other means, such as email, post, or fax, will NOT be processed.
- The abstract submission platform closes on September 1, 2025, at 23:59 Hong Kong Time (GMT +8). 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 “” button, modifications will no longer be possible.
- Upon successfully submission, you will receive an acknowledgment email within 24 hours. It contains a reference 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.
- Results will be notified by October 17, 2025.

Authors’ and Submitters’ Roles
- Each abstract may be attributed to a maximum of one (1) FIRST AUTHOR plus five (5) CO-AUTHOR(S). The first author should obtain each co-author’s consent before including their names.
- 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.
- Any individual can be an author of up to five (5) abstracts in total, but first authorship is limited to three (3) abstracts, including not more than two (2) abstracts of the same format.
- 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.

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.

Language and Structure
- Only submissions in English are accepted. If English is not your first language, it is recommended that you invite a native speaker to proofread and/or edited the work before submission.
- Each abstract should contain a concise TITLE written 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.
- Authors should ensure the accuracy of facts, spelling and grammar. The Abstract Reviewing Committee, however, reserves the right to edit any significant spelling and grammatical mistakes.

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.

For Instruction Courses, the FIRST AUTHOR is referred to as the CHIEF INSTRUCTOR while CO-AUTHORS are referred 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.

For each abstract submitted in the format of free paper, the Abstract Reviewing Committee may make one of the following decisions:
- - Accept: The work has been accepted as a free paper. The presenting author should prepare a talk of 5-8 minutes to deliver at the Congress.
  - Reformat: The work is deemed unsuitable as a free paper, but the authors will be offered an option to modify the format and present it as a poster or an e-poster.
  - Reject: The work is rejected.
For each abstract submitted in the format of poster, the Abstract Reviewing Committee may make one of the following decisions:
- - Accept: The work has been accepted as a poster.
  - Reformat: The work is deemed unsuitable as a poster, but the authors will be offered an option to modify the format and present it as an e-poster.
  - Reject: The work is rejected.
Any reformatting of presentation will not affect the authors’ entitlement of points under the APAO Achievement Award Program.

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.

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