Conditions of Participation

• The dates for submission of proposals will be January 2 – 31, 2019. The submission window closes January 31 at 4 PM CST. Courses must be submitted following the instructions on the Academy website at, http://www.aaopt.org. Submissions will not be accepted in any other manner.

• A complete course submission consists of a course outline (Your outline must be a MINIMUM of 1 ½ pages per course hour. View a sample outline), an up-to-date CV of each instructor not exceeding 5 pages, and a completed proposal form. A valid email address for each instructor must be provided. Consent, disclosures and all other information on the proposal form must be completed for a course to be considered for Academy 2019 Orlando and the 3rd World Congress of Optometry. Do NOT submit the same abstract to both WCO and AAO. Course outlines must provide enough detail to allow the Lectures and Workshops program Committee to determine if the course is suitable for presentation at the Academy meeting. Many topics are highly competitive and courses with updated, detailed outlines will be given selection preference.

• In the interest of clarity for the attendees, please ensure that your course title is succinct and accurately reflects the course content. Course titles may be shortened or edited as deemed appropriate by the Lectures and Workshops Committee.

• Standard audio visual equipment for lectures includes the following: laptop computer; LCD projector; one Lavaliere microphone; one podium microphone; one laser pointer. No MAC adaptors will be provided.

• Please list any possible conflicts. More submissions are rejected for omitting known conflicts than for having conflicts.

• Indicate whether or not your lecture or workshop would qualify for Therapeutic CE credit as defined by AAO. A “therapeutic course” is one in which the diagnosis and management of patients with eye disease/trauma or ocular manifestations of systemic disease is clearly indicated as THE PRIMARY course objective by the speaker.

• You must agree to present the accepted lecture or workshop at the time(s) scheduled by the Lectures and Workshops Program Committee. If you have scheduling conflict(s) that you are aware of, please indicate these in the comments box at the time of submission. Once scheduled, course times cannot be changed.

• Council on Optometric Practitioner Education (COPE) Approval: All courses that are not already COPE approved will be submitted by AAO for COPE approval. COPE may contact instructors directly regarding a course. Instructors must make every effort to respond to requests as necessary to achieve COPE qualification.

• Suitable courses will be submitted for the UK General Optical Council Continuing Education and Training points (CET) and the WCO may be in contact for additional information regarding a course.

• You must register for the meeting prior to the event (no on-site registration). You will receive a reduced registration fee (which will automatically populate when you register) for Academy 2019 Orlando and the 3rd World Congress of Optometry not including the cost of workshops, leadership courses or banquet tickets. If you wish to attend any workshop course, you must pre-register and pay the appropriate fee.

• You must register separately for the banquet if you are planning to attend this event, and must pay the fees indicated on the registration form.

• You MUST indicate whether or not permission is granted to offer your course (only two-hour courses can be considered) for Continuing Education with Examination (CEE, formerly transcript quality, TQ) credit. If you agree to this and your course is selected, you will provide the Academy with twenty (20) multiple-choice questions and answers. These questions are for inclusion in a CEE examination, which will be administered by the Academy or its designated representative. The primary instructor will be notified in March 2019, if the proposal has been accepted or rejected. Please inform your co-authors of acceptance! All authors must accept the terms of presentation by logging into the Academy website.