Applied Optics is a peer-reviewed scientific journal published by Optica three times a month. It was established in 1962 with John N. Howard as founding editor-in-chief and Patricia Wakeling as Managing Editor. Wakeling worked on the journal for over three decades. The editor-in-chief is Gisele Bennett. The journal covers all aspects of optics, photonics, imaging, and sensing. According to the Journal Citation Reports, the journal has a 2023 impact factor of 1.7.