American Journal of Ophthalmology

American Journal of Ophthalmology is a peer-reviewed medical journal focusing on clinical and laboratory research in ophthalmology and visual sciences. The journal publishes original research, reviews, and clinical reports that inform practice in institutions such as Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, Moorfields Eye Hospital, and Wilmer Eye Institute. Its readership includes clinicians and researchers affiliated with organizations like American Academy of Ophthalmology, Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, World Health Organization, and academic centers such as Johns Hopkins University, Harvard Medical School, and University of California, San Francisco.

History

The journal was established in 1884 during a period of rapid development in institutions like Johns Hopkins Hospital, New York Eye and Ear Infirmary, and Wills Eye Hospital, and it paralleled advances by figures such as Allvar Gullstrand, Svyatoslav Fyodorov, Albrecht von Graefe, William Bowman, and Alfred Vogt. Throughout the 20th century it documented innovations linked to researchers at Columbia University, Stanford University School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, University of Michigan, and University of Iowa while covering milestones associated with the introduction of diagnostics from companies such as Zeiss, Bausch + Lomb, and Alcon. Editorial transitions involved prominent editors connected to American Ophthalmological Society, Royal College of Ophthalmologists, Society for Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, and military medicine centers like Walter Reed Army Medical Center and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

Scope and Content

The journal's scope encompasses clinical research, translational science, epidemiology, and surgical techniques with submissions from departments at Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, Mount Sinai Health System, Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals, and research groups linked to National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, European Society of Ophthalmology, Pan American Health Organization, and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Typical content addresses diseases and conditions studied by investigators at Scheie Eye Institute, Kellogg Eye Center, Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital, and laboratories collaborating with National Eye Institute, Wellcome Trust, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and pharmaceutical sponsors such as Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, and Regeneron. Article types include randomized trials influenced by protocols from CONSORT-aligned groups, meta-analyses using standards from Cochrane Collaboration, diagnostic studies employing criteria from World Health Organization initiatives, and case reports highlighting work from specialty centers like Bascom Palmer Eye Institute and Moorfields Eye Hospital.

Publication and Access

Published monthly by Elsevier, the journal operates within publishing frameworks used by titles such as The Lancet, Journal of the American Medical Association, New England Journal of Medicine, Nature Medicine, and British Journal of Ophthalmology. Distribution reaches subscribers at academic libraries of Yale University, Princeton University, University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, and hospital systems including Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and UCSF Medical Center. Access models reflect trends seen in agreements with consortia like HINARI, embargo policies similar to those of NIH Public Access, and licensing practices negotiated with groups such as Research4Life and university presses at University of Chicago Press.

Editorial Leadership and Peer Review

Editorial leadership has included editors affiliated with institutions like University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Duke University School of Medicine, University College London, and Imperial College London, with governance informed by standards from organizations such as Committee on Publication Ethics, International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, and Council of Science Editors. The peer-review process involves external reviewers drawn from faculty at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, University of British Columbia, Monash University, Seoul National University Hospital, and specialty societies such as American Society of Retina Specialists and European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons. Editorial policies align with ethical frameworks exemplified by cases adjudicated at venues like United States District Court for the Southern District of New York and guidance from professional bodies including American Medical Association.

Impact and Indexing

The journal is indexed in major databases comparable to those indexing JAMA Ophthalmology, including PubMed, MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, and EMBASE, and it contributes to citation metrics tracked alongside titles such as Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, Ophthalmology (journal), British Journal of Ophthalmology, and Eye (journal). Its articles have been cited in guidelines from organizations like World Health Organization, American Academy of Ophthalmology, United Kingdom National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, and incorporated into systematic reviews produced by groups such as Cochrane Collaboration and policy documents at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The journal's impact factor and bibliometric indicators are reported in resources like Journal Citation Reports and monitored by research offices at institutions including National Institutes of Health and European Research Council.

Category:Ophthalmology journals