Examining Medical Students' and Professionals' Perspectives on Eye Donation and Corneal Transplantation

Abstract

Background Corneal blindness affects millions across India. Corneal transplantation is the primary treatment; however, there is a severe shortage of donor corneas. This study aimed to assess awareness, knowledge, and attitudes towards corneal donation among medical students and professionals, identify barriers to donation, and explore popular information sources for promoting awareness about corneal transplants and eye donation. Methods Using a validated, self-administered questionnaire, this cross-sectional study surveyed 350 medical undergraduates, postgraduates, and doctors. Data collection occurred over a period of three months via Google Forms (Mountain View, CA: Google LLC). The questionnaire assessed knowledge about corneal donation criteria, willingness to donate corneas, factors influencing donation decisions, and sources of awareness about corneal transplants. Ethical clearance was obtained, and data was analyzed using SPSS version 20.0 (Armonk, NY: IBM Corp.). Results Regarding donor eligibility, 269 (76.9%) knew that anyone regardless of age can donate, 270 (77.1%) knew that donation occurs postmortem, 269 (68.3%) knew the time limit for cornea collection, only 133 (38%) knew medical conditions impacting donor eligibility, and 250 (71.4%) knew only corneal tissue is retrieved. A large number, 333 (95.1%), are aware of the functions of eye banks. Of the participants, 228 (65.1%) were willing to donate their corneas. Popular reasons for donations included helping blind people improve their quality of life and the nobility of the act. The main barriers include a lack of awareness, a desire to preserve the body, health issues, and ethical concerns during extraction. The most preferred sources of information are social media, health workers/eye camps, TV advertisements, and celebrity endorsements. Overall, doctors and postgraduates demonstrated superior knowledge in most areas compared to undergraduates, and ophthalmologists showed higher knowledge in specific domains (like age limits, factors affecting the eligibility of eye donors, time frame for cornea harvesting, and the identification of certain diseases and conditions barring donation) than non-ophthalmologists. Conclusion Our research uncovered knowledge deficits regarding corneal donation criteria and procedures mainly among undergraduate students. The findings highlight the importance of impactful educational initiatives that utilize preferred communication channels. These efforts should address myths and misconceptions, analyze vital motivating factors, overcome barriers, and understand cultural perspectives influencing the overall attitude towards corneal donation.

Keywords: corneal transplantation; eye donation; medical community awareness; medical students' attitudes; organ donation awareness.