JAMA Ophthalmology—The Year in Review, 2023

Abstract

World events continue to shape ophthalmology, including the role of the ophthalmic peer-reviewed literature in medicine, and 2023 was no exception. This Year in Review looks back on some of those events and how they are shaping the journal moving forward.With the introduction of ChatGPT (OpenAI), ophthalmologists and their patients have more sources of scientific information and misinformation. In 2023, 2 of the top JAMA Ophthalmology articles based on Web of Science citations (Table ) 1-8 involved the performance, including limitations, of an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot for assessing ophthalmic knowledge. 6,7 In response to this new tool, JAMA Ophthalmology has emphasized to reviewers not to submit confidential manuscripts, abstracts, or other text into a chatbot, language model, or similar tool, because the confidentiality no longer can be controlled by reviewers once this material becomes part of the language model's servers. 9,10 For authors, the submission of content created by AI, language models, machine learning, or similar technologies is not prohibited, but such content is generally discouraged unless it is part of the investigation's formal research design or methods. If authors do submit such content, they must provide a description of the material that was created, along with the name of the model or tool, version and extension numbers, and manufacturer. As with all content submitted for publication in JAMA Ophthalmology, authors must take responsibility for the integrity of the content generated by these models and tools. 9,10 The editors of JAMA Ophthalmology recognize the challenges, and sometimes bombardment, of so much new information from reliable as well as potentially biased sources regarding clinically relevant topics in ophthalmology. To assist with these challenges, beginning in 2024, the JAMA Ophthalmology editors are inviting experts to help synthesize such topics relevant to ophthalmology within succinct, relatively short summaries that follow the examples of JAMA Insights, JAMA Clinical Evidence Synopsis, and JAMA Clinical Guidelines Synopses. For example, 2 2,3 of the top 3 articles by views/downloads in 2023 (Table ) 1-8 were randomized clinical trials evaluating the potential risks and benefits of low-dose atropine eye drops vs placebo for myopia control. The goal of these educational initiatives will be to provide pithy evaluations across clinical trials like these for the busy reader and to synthesize new information rapidly that might change clinical practice in a way that is complementary to reviews, book chapters, or more extensive guidelines.Also evident in the Table1-8 is the continued broad, global reach of JAMA Ophthalmology. In 2023, there were more than 4.6 million views and downloads of articles published in the journal. This global interest, coupled with over 66 000 individuals around the world receiving the electronic Table of Contents of JAMA Ophthalmology each week, with more than Related article Table. JAMA Ophthalmology Statistics for 2023 Characteristic a