Call for Submissions

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: SEPTEMBER 1, 2025

COURSE OUTLINE DEADLINE: FEBRUARY 27, 2026

ELECTRONIC HANDOUT DEADLINE: APRIL 10, 2026

Limit: One (1) course submission per instructor

Course presentations are instructional and aim to achieve the submitter’s stated educational objective. A course should include enough time for Q & A and ideally interactive discussion built into the 90- minute time frame. Based on previous meeting attendee feedback, consideration will be given to courses that focus on tips that can be immediately implemented into practice (for example, implementing a new paradigm into practice). Potential faculty are reminded to design courses that are scientifically sound and unbiased. All faculty (including instructors and co-instructors) are required to register for the ASCRS Annual Meeting. ASCRS does not pay honoraria or travel/housing expenses for presenters. Speaker registration deadline is March 10, 2026.

If the proposed course has special requirements, please contact us at [email protected].

If the proposed course will be conducted in a language other than English, an English translation of the title, course description, and objectives must also be submitted.

NUMBER OF FACULTY PER COURSE

Each instructional course must include one course director/lead instructor and up to 5 co-instructors or speakers, not to exceed 6 total faculty members. Any changes to coauthors are due by February 27.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE LEAD INSTRUCTOR (COURSE DIRECTOR):

• All lead and co-instructors must submit their Financial Interest Disclosures before a course submission can be completed.
• If entering co-instructors/faculty, confirm the email address they used when submitting their Financial Interest Disclosure to be able to include them with the electronic submission.
• Submit an outline of the course by February 27, 2026. No new faculty additions may be made after February 27, 2026.
• Prior to submitting:
  • Invite all co-instructors and faculty to confirm their willingness to participate.
  • Notify all co-instructors and faculty that they must complete their Financial Interest Disclosure and ASCRS Faculty CME Review. In accordance with the ACCME’s updated requirements, faculty who have not done so will not be allowed to participate in the course and will not be listed in the Final Program. (See page 6 for details.)
  • Ensure that each faculty member and/or co-instructor does not include a presentation that has a conflict of interest.
  • Do not include a financial interest disclosure statement on your slides. This will be automatically populated for your session from your submitted ASCRS Financial Interest Disclosure according to relevancy as determined by ASCRS.
  • If accepted, you must notify all faculty of the scheduled date and time for the course.
  • Prepare a comprehensive electronic handout to be included in the ASCRS Meeting App. ASCRS will not accept, photocopy, or distribute handout copies. Further instructions regarding electronic handouts will be sent to lead instructors of accepted courses.

   

ABSTRACT STRUCTURE

Title (limited to 250 characters, including spaces and punctuation)

The title should accurately and concisely reflect the submission content. For CME purposes, product/trade names cannot be used in the title. Generic descriptors are required. Titles with product/trade names may be rejected. The title should not be formulated as a question or statement (i.e., should not include a verb). Titles should follow title case rules and may be edited by ASCRS editorial staff. Please do not enter the title in all caps.

Category

Choose from the categories and topics on page 9.

Course Material Level

Indicate if the course material is:

• Introductory
• Intermediate
• Advanced

Please enter the format of the course presentation: (You may select more than one)

• Didactic lecture
• Surgical or clinical videos
• Case presentations (with or without videos)
• Instructional surgical steps (with or without demonstration videos)

What is the ONE thing you want the learner to be able to do after attending your course?

I want the learner to be able to:

• Change surgical technique/approach
• Improve management of surgical complications
• Use a systematic approach to improve patient care and/or clinical results
• Consider other technology, (e.g., consider a new IOL) to improve surgical outcomes
• Other

Course Description (Limited to 450 characters, including space and punctuation)

The course description is the basis upon which attendees select sessions to attend. The course description should include the topics to be presented. Please begin your description with the words “Course will . . .”

For more information, please see the 2026 ASCRS Submission Guide.

Click here to begin your submission.

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: SEPTEMBER 1, 2025

All accepted papers will be limited to 5-minute presentations. All paper abstract submissions will be peer-reviewed by the ASCRS Program Committee and appropriate Clinical Committees. Abstracts will be graded on content and scientific integrity.

Submissions by non-MDs/DOs will be reviewed in the context of the presenter’s training and education.
Papers may now be accepted as an ASCRS Electronic Paper (E-Paper). Meeting site time and space allow for only so many live paper presentations, therefore, some paper presentations will be given the option to pre-record a presentation as an e-paper. E-papers are pre-recorded audio presentations that are video-optional and will be on display at the Education Hubs and On-Demand post-meeting resources. More information available soon.

NUMBER OF SUBMISSIONS PER PERSON

Submissions are limited to 3 abstracts per person.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE LEAD AUTHOR

• Prior to submitting, the lead author must complete their Financial Interest Disclosure and ASCRS Faculty CME Review.
• Ensure that all presentations do not include a financial interest disclosure slide/information. This will be automatically populated for your session according to relevancy determined by ASCRS.
• Submit any additional coauthors by February 27, 2026.
• Presenting author must register for the Annual Meeting.

ABSTRACT STRUCTURE

Please read the following instructions carefully before completing the submission:

Title (limited to 140 characters, including spaces and punctuation)

For CME purposes, product/trade names cannot be used in the title. Generic descriptors are required. Titles with product/trade names may be rejected. The title should not be formulated as a question or statement (i.e., should not include a verb). Titles should follow title case rules and may be edited by ASCRS editorial staff. Please use title case when completing the submission. The title should accurately and concisely reflect the submission content.

Category - Choose from the categories and topics on page 9.

Purpose (Limited to 350 characters, including spaces and punctuation)

Indicate the question that the study answers or the hypothesis it tests. Do not include names or affiliations of authors. Do not include sponsorships, grants, etc.

Methods (Limited to 700 characters, including spaces and punctuation)

Describe the study design, indicating randomization, masking, and whether the data collection was retrospective or prospective, if applicable. Identify the patients, including selection procedures, inclusion criteria, and numbers. Indicate the intervention procedures and the outcome measures.

Results (Limited to 700 characters, including spaces and punctuation)

Present the outcomes and measurements. Data should include the level of statistical significance.

Conclusion (Limited to 350 characters including spaces and punctuation) State the conclusion and clinical pertinence.

• Abstracts that do not include results and conclusion must be revised by February 15, 2026, to be accepted in the ASCRS Program. This date applies to papers and posters only.
• Proofread the abstract carefully. It will appear exactly as submitted.
• Do not submit the abstract if the material has been presented or published elsewhere.

Please ensure you have listed all contributing authors on the abstract, with all coauthor edits completed by February 27, 2026. Coauthors who are not listed on the abstract submission cannot be acknowledged within the presentation. There is a limit of 6 authors per submission.

For more information, please see the 2026 ASCRS Submission Guide.

Click here to begin your submission.

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: SEPTEMBER 1, 2025

ELECTRONIC POSTERS DUE FOR JUDGING: FEBRUARY 15, 2026

ALL ELECTRONIC POSTER DUE: March 6, 2026

All accepted and uploaded electronic posters will be available for viewing on demand at the Education Hubs at the Convention Center during the meeting and available for viewing on the ASCRS website post-meeting. Questions from attendees will be submitted electronically to the lead author’s email. All poster abstract submissions will be peer-reviewed by the ASCRS Program Committee, poster judges, and appropriate Clinical Committees. Abstracts will be graded on content and scientific integrity.

Submissions by non-MDs/DOs will be reviewed in the context of the presenter’s training and education. The Poster Judging Committee will select winning Posters from 4 categories: Cataract, Cornea, Glaucoma and Keratorefractive.

NUMBER OF SUBMISSIONS PER PERSON

Submissions are limited to 3 abstracts per person.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE LEAD AUTHOR

• Prior to submitting, the lead author must complete their Financial Interest Disclosure and ASCRS Faculty CME Review.
• Do not include a financial interest disclosure statement on your slides. This will be automatically populated for your session from your submitted ASCRS Financial Interest Disclosure according to relevancy as determined by ASCRS.
• Submit any changes to the listing of coauthors by February 27, 2026.
• Lead author must register for the Annual Meeting.

ABSTRACT STRUCTURE

Please read the following instructions carefully before completing the submission:

Title (Limited to 140 characters including spaces and punctuation)

For CME purposes, product/trade names cannot be used in the title. Generic descriptors are required. Titles with product/trade names may be rejected. The title should not be formulated as a question or statement (i.e., should not include a verb). Titles should follow title case rules and may be edited by ASCRS editorial staff. The title should accurately and concisely reflect the submission content.

Category

Choose from the categories and topics available on the site.

Purpose (Limited to 350 characters, including spaces and punctuation)

Indicate the question that the study answers or the hypothesis it tests. Do not include names or affiliations of authors. Do not include sponsorships, grants, etc.

Methods (Limited to 700 characters, including spaces and punctuation)

Describe the study design, indicating randomization, masking, and whether the data collection was retrospective or prospective, if applicable. Identify the patients, including selection procedures, inclusion criteria, and numbers. Indicate the intervention procedures and outcome measures.

Results (Limited to 700 characters, including space and punctuation)

Present the outcomes and measurements. Data should include the level of statistical significance.

Conclusion (Limited to 350 characters, including space and punctuation)

State the conclusion and clinical pertinence.

• Abstracts that do not include final results and conclusion must be revised by February 13, 2024, to be included with the online abstracts. This date applies to papers and posters only.
• Proofread the abstract carefully. It will appear exactly as submitted.
• Do not submit the abstract if the material has been presented or published elsewhere.

Please ensure you have listed all contributing authors on the abstract, with all coauthor edits completed by February 27, 2026. Coauthors who are not listed on the abstract submission cannot be acknowledged within the presentation. There is a limit of 6 authors per submission.

LIVE POSTER PRESENTATIONS

Electronic posters that are selected for an award by the Poster Judging Committee will be given the opportunity to present their poster live at the meeting. Presentation time/date to be announced by mid-March via email.

For more information, please see the 2026 ASCRS Submission Guide.

Click here to begin your submission.

The 44th ASCRS Film Festival will be held during the 2026 ASCRS Annual Meeting. Winning films are showcased at the ASCRS Annual Meeting during the Film Festival Ceremony. Submitted films are judged, and awards are given to the top films in each category with an overall grand prize winner. In addition, all submitted films are available to view in the ASCRS Education Hubs during the ASCRS Annual Meeting and on the ASCRS website, year-round. Award-winning films are also celebrated for their innovation and educational value throughout the year in ASCRS publications, ASCRS social networking sites, ASCRS' CME 24/7 platform, and at other important ophthalmology meetings around the world.

KEY DATES FOR FILM SUBMISSIONS:

• September 1: Title and synopsis deadline
• December 4: Submission acceptance notification with edited titles emailed to producer
• January 6 – February 15, 2026: Deadline for film uploads
• April 12, 2026: Film Festival Awards Reception and Ceremony

PEER REVIEW AND ACCEPTANCE OF SUBMISSION

• Film submission synopses will be peer-reviewed by the ASCRS Program Committee and appropriate Clinical Committee for content and scientific integrity
• Accepted films will be scored by a panel of judges
• Submissions by non-MDs will be reviewed in the context of the presenter’s training and education

NUMBER OF FILM SUBMISSIONS ALLOWED PER PERSON

• 1 as first producer
• 2 additional film submissions as co-producer, for a total of 3 film submissions

PRESENTATION OF FILM

• Film producers must be registered for and attend the 2026 ASCRS Annual Meeting and must attend the ASCRS Film Festival Awards Ceremony to be eligible for final film judging and awards. Registration and proof of badge pickup will be referenced.
• Special circumstances may arise; the producer must send a substitute in their place that is not a member of industry; the substitute will accept, on stage, any award/s that may be given to the film producer
• Send the name of the substitute to [email protected].

INSTRUCTIONS IN ORDER OF COMPLETION

Responsibilities of the Lead Producer

• Complete their Financial Interest Disclosure and ASCRS Faculty CME Review.
• To add co-producers, notify them to create an account at https://ascrs.confex.com/ascrs/ficme26/cfp.cgi and submit their Financial Interest Disclosure.
• Your submission will not be reviewed for acceptance until you have completed all the steps.

Film Submission Categories

• Cataract Complications
• Cataract/Implant Surgery
• Complex Anterior Segment Procedures
• In-House Productions: A video produced by the author independent of financial or technical resources provided by a professional entity.
• Instruments and Devices/IOLs
• New Producer/Young Physician: Combined category that includes the New Producer of any age and the Young Physician. New Producers can submit in this category if this is their 1st or 2nd film as the lead producer and they have not won in a society Film Festival as the lead producer. A Young Physician producer is in their first 5 years of practice and has not won in a society film festival as the lead producer.
• New Techniques
• Quality Teaching
• Refractive/Cornea Surgery
• Special Interest: Videos that don’t easily fit into the other categories because of their unusual subject matter or unique approach.
• Shorts: A film tells a story, while a short makes a point. Video submissions in this category are limited to 2 minutes or less in length.

Title and Synopsis

• The title should accurately and concisely reflect the submission content
• Product/trade names should not be used in the title and will be edited out; generic descriptors are required
• The title should not be formulated as a question or statement (i.e., should not include a verb)
• Title should follow title case rules and may be edited by ASCRS editorial staff (do not enter the title in all caps)
• Title limit: 140 characters, including spaces and punctuation
• Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) must be disclosed by checking the appropriate attestation box when submitting.
• Synopsis: The synopsis should provide a brief overview of your film
• Synopsis limit: 400 characters, including spaces and punctuation

For more information, please see the 2026 ASCRS Submission Guide.

Click here to begin your submission.