The American Academy of Ophthalmology has appointed Bennie H. Jeng, MD, as Editor‑in‑Chief of its flagship journal, Ophthalmology. Dr. Jeng is chair of the Department of Ophthalmology and director of the Scheie Eye Institute at the University of Pennsylvania. He currently serves on the editorial boards of Ophthalmology and Ophthalmology Science. In a forthcoming editorial, he indicated plans to use AI tools to help curate clinically relevant research and announced a new partnership with The Lancet.
Dr. Jeng, who also serves as the Academy’s Secretary for Annual Meeting, has been an active volunteer with the organization. His service includes roles on several committees, such as the Special Interest Team, the Self‑Assessment Committee, the Ophthalmic News and Education Network (ONE) Editorial Board, the Research, Regulations, and External Affairs Committee, and the Awards Committee. He has also served two terms on the Academy Council and on the editorial board of EyeNet Magazine.
Addressing the role of AI in publishing, Dr. Jeng stated that the editorial board would continue to curate important research with judgment, ethics, and foresight. He emphasized that while AI may assist in workflows, it should not replace the critical evaluation performed by human reviewers and editors. He noted that peer review must remain unbiased and conducted by experts rather than automated systems.
Dr. Jeng also announced that Ophthalmology will launch a partnership with The Lancet. Under the agreement, Ophthalmology retains the right of first refusal for research presented at the Academy’s annual meeting, with the exception that authors may first submit to The Lancet. If manuscripts are not accepted there, they will transfer directly to Ophthalmology without reformatting. This pathway applies to ophthalmologic research submitted to The Lancet beyond annual meeting presentations.
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