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Research Article

Donation

Tropical Journal of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology

2021 Volume 6 Number 1 January-February
Publisherwww.medresearch.in

A cross sectional study on awareness about eye donation among the students of a selected degree college and their willingness to pledge eyes for donation.

Shwetha NC.1*, Achappa S.2, Deeksha BM.3
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17511/jooo.2021.i01.02

1* Shwetha NC, Assistant Professor, Department of Ophthalmology, Dr Chandramma Dayananda Sagar Institute of Medical Education and Research, Ramanagara, Karnataka, India.

2 Santosh Achappa, Associate Professor, Department of Community Medicine, Dr Chandramma Dayananda Sagar Institute of Medical Education and Research, Ramanagara, Karnataka, India.

3 Deeksha BM, MBBS.

Context: Corneal blindness is a major public health problem in India. Raising the level of awareness on eye donation is important to increase procurement of corneas as there is a significant mismatch between need and supply of corneal transplant. Aim: To assess the awareness and knowledge about eye donation among university students and to learn about their willingness to pledge eyes for donation. Settings and Design: A cross sectional study was conducted for a period of 6 months among the students of a degree college in an Indian urban city. Methods and Material: A pre tested & semi structured questionnaire was given to the students to assess their knowledge about eye donation and their willingness to pledge eyes for donation. Statistical analysis used: Non probability samples (convenience sample) of 211 students were selected for the study. Results: The mean age of the students was 19.35 ± 0.73 years. Out of 211 students, 198 (94%) had heard about eye donation. Ideal time to remove eyes after death is known to 71% of the students. Only 08% of the students knew a person with Diabetes or Hypertension can donate his/her eyes. On willingness to pledge eyes for donation, 59% of the participants were ready to pledge and 05% were not willing to donate eyes. Conclusion: Even though the students have heard about eye donation the knowledge was lacking on important aspects of eye donation. The Majority have not registered for eye donation however willingness to pledge the eyes for donation was present among most of the students.

Keywords: Corneal blindness, Eye donation, Pledge, Public health problem, Students, Willingness.

Corresponding Author How to Cite this Article To Browse
Shwetha NC, Assistant Professor, Department of Ophthalmology, Dr Chandramma Dayananda Sagar Institute of Medical Education and Research, Ramanagara, Karnataka, India.
Email: 		Shwetha NC, Achappa S, Deeksha BM. A cross sectional study on awareness about eye donation among the students of a selected degree college and their willingness to pledge eyes for donation. Trop J Ophthalmol Otolaryngol. 2021;6(1):07-12.
Available From
https://opthalmology.medresearch.in/index.php/jooo/article/view/182

Manuscript Received Review Round 1 Review Round 2 Review Round 3 Accepted
2021-01-20 2021-02-24 2021-02-28 2021-03-01
Conflict of Interest Funding Ethical Approval Plagiarism X-checker Note
No Nil Yes 7%

© 2021 by Shwetha NC, Santosh Achappa, Deeksha BM and Published by Siddharth Health Research and Social Welfare Society. This is an Open Access article licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ unported [CC BY 4.0].

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NC Shwetha et al: A cross sectional study on awareness about eye

Introduction

Giving someone the gift of sight and letting them see the world through eye donation is truly a divine deed for a noble cause. Due to lack of awareness, eye donation has not got its due importance in our country [1]. According to World Health Organization (WHO), corneal diseases are among the major causes of vision loss and blindness [2]. Significant causes for corneal blindness are ocular trauma & corneal ulcerations. Corneal blindness is an important cause of blindness in India.

There are currently twelve lakh corneal blind persons in India, each year 25000 – 30000 people with corneal blindness are added [3]. The only currently available curative treatment for corneal blindness is the surgery. After death various organs can be donated & can be surgically transplanted to the patients who need them, one such organ is the eye [4]. By donating eyes after death through a surgical procedure known as corneal transplantation a corneal blind person can see again [5].

The number of people awaiting corneal transplant is out numbering the available donors. The annual requirement is about 75,000 to 1,00,000 corneas but the procurement rate is 22,000 corneas at present in India [6]. More than 90% of the corneal transplantation is carried out successfully & helps restore vision in people with corneal blindness [7]. But the access to this surgery is very difficult because of lack of donors [4].

India is lagging behind in eye donation due to false social taboos. National eye donation fortnight is observed in India every year from 25th August to 8th September. This campaign aims to create awareness about importance of eye donation and thereby motivate people to pledge their eyes for donation after death [8]. Raising the level of public awareness on eye donation is important to increase procurement of corneas [9].

Objectives

  1. To assess the knowledge on eye donation among the students
  2. To obtain the information on their willingness to donate eyes

Materials and methods

Type of study: A cross sectional study.

Study setting: A university degree college.

Study duration: Six months between July 2019 to December 2019.

Sampling methods: Non Probability sampling technique (convenience Sampling)

Sample size calculation: Complete enumeration of all the students studying in the degree college was done and the sample size of our study was 211.

Inclusion criteria: All the students present on the day of study in the class were included

Exclusion criteria: Students who refused to give consent were excluded from the study.

Data collection procedure: A predesigned semi structured questionnaire was used to collect information from the students. The questionnaire, in its first part included information on age, gender, study stream and semester. Remaining part of the questionnaire contained questions on knowledge about eye donation & their willingness to pledge eyes for donation. The questionnaire was distributed to the students and data was collected

Ethical consideration & permission: The study was conducted after obtaining the Institutional ethical committee clearance and an informed consent was taken from the students after explaining the purpose of the study.

Statistical Analysis: The data was compiled in MS Excel and analysed by using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 20.0. Descriptive statistics was presented in percentages and proportions.

Results

Out of 211students, 198 (94%) had heard about eye donation. Among the 198 students, 56 (28%) were males and 142 (72%) were females. Age varied from 18 to 21 years. The mean age of the students was 19.35 ± 0.73 years.

The correct responses of the students on questions regarding eye donation is shown in Table 1.

With respect to study stream 143 (72%) students were from Bachelor of Commerce (B.COM), 46 (23%) from Bachelor of Computer Applications (BCA) and 9 (4.5%) students were from Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA).

Table-1: Showing correct responses of the students on questions regarding eye donation

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NC Shwetha et al: A cross sectional study on awareness about eye
Sl no Question Response Frequency Percentage
1 What is the age limit for donating eyes? Upto 18 years 9 5
18 - 59 years 44 22
60 years and above 10 05
everyone 135 68
2 Can the eyes be removed from a living person for donation? Yes, with consent of Donor 69 35
No 110 55
Don't Know 19 10
3 Within how much time after death should the eyes be removed? 1 - 2 days 6 3.0
6 - 24hrs 41 21
within 6 hrs 141 71
Dont Know 10 05
4 Which part of the eye is taken from the Donor? whole eye ball 42 21
Black part of the eye 46 23
white part of the eye 17 09
Dont Know 93 47
5 Which part of the eye is transplanted? whole eye ball 30 15
Black part of the eye 111 56
white part of the eye 3 02
Dont Know 54 27
6 Eyes can be preserved in the eye bank Yes 81 41
No 68 34
Don't Know 49 25
7 Can a person with Diabetes and Hypertension diseases donate his/her eyes? Yes 15 08
No 154 78
Dont know 29 14
8 Can a person who has undergone cataract surgery donate his/her eyes? Yes 24 12
No 99 50.0
Don't know 75 38
9 Does the donor/ donor’s family receive money for donating eyes Yes 60 30
No 83 42
Don't Know 55 28
10 Can eyes be removed at home? Yes 83 42
No 106 54
Dont Know 9 04
11 Is it necessary to transport the donor to the hospital after death for donating eyes Yes 66 33
No 114 58
Don't Know 18 09
12 Can they donate if not pledged Yes 167 84
No 23 12
Don't Know 8 04

Table 2: Showing distribution of students based on their willingness to pledge eyes for donation

Question Responses Frequency Percentage
Are you willing to pledge eyes for donation Yes 116 58.6
No 10 5.1
Need time 44 22.2
Consent of family is required 28 14.1
Total 198 100.0

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NC Shwetha et al: A cross sectional study on awareness about eye

Among the students who had heard about eye donation, 135 (68%) participants responded that anyone can donate eyes irrespective of the age. When asked whether a living person can donate eyes, 69 (35%) of them answered yes with consent but majority rightly said no accounting for 110 (55%). Ideal time to remove eyes after death was within 6 hours, this was known to 141 (71%) students. On the question which part of the eye is taken from the donor, 42 (21%) students answered as whole eye is taken and 46 (23%) students said only black part of the eye (cornea) is taken.

Authors considered both as right answers. Regarding transplantation 111 (56%) participants correctly answered only cornea is transplanted. With respect to preserving the eye 81 (41%) respondents felt eyes should be preserved in the eye bank. For the question, “Can a person with Diabetes or Hypertension donate his/her eyes?”, only 15 (08%) students answered correctly as yes. Twenty four (12%) students knew that a person who has undergone cataract surgery can still donate eyes. On asking if the eyes of the donor can be procured at home, 83 (42%) students rightly said yes but 66 (33%) students believed transporting the donor to the hospital after death is necessary for donating eyes.

On questioning about willingness to pledge eyes for donation, 116 (59%) students were ready to pledge, 44 (22%) needed time to decide, 28 (14%) needed consent from family and 10 (05%) students were not willing to donate eyes. Pleasure to help the blind was the primary reason for majority of the students who were ready to pledge eyes for donation accounting for 64%. Among the students (60%) who were not willing to pledge eyes for donation, disfigurement of face was the reason for their decision.

Discussion

In the present study, 94% of the students had heard about eye donation; similar to a study done by Bhole P et al., among the students of a nursing college in Gujarat [2020] [10], where 98% of the participants had heard about eye donation. Whereas in a study by Bhattacharya S et al., [2020] in an urban community of West Bengal, [11] 74% of the respondents had heard about eye donation. Compared to the students, awareness about eye donation was less in the community. In the present study, 68% of the students responded that anyone can donate eyes irrespective of the age;

similar response was seen in a study by Nekar et al., [2012] among the college students of Hubli city. [12] In the present study 69% of the students opined that there is shortage of donors in India. In a study by Kumari R [2016] among the life sciences students [13] 85% of the students believed that there is a shortage of donors in India. When asked whether living person can donate eyes, 35% of study participants answered “yes with consent” but the majority rightly said no accounting for 55%.

Whereas in the study by Bhole P et al., [10] 61% responded that eyes can be donated before death. Ideal time to remove eyes after death is within six hours, which was known to 71% of the students in the present study. Similarly in the study by Bhole P.et al., [10] 75% students knew the ideal time for removal of eyes but in a study among nursing students by Gupta A et al., [14] only 38% of the participants were aware of the ideal time for procurement of eyes.

When participants were asked about the part of the eye that is taken from the donor in the present study, 21% of the participants believed whole eye is taken and 23% of the participants opined only black part of the eye (cornea) is taken. Both were considered as right answers. When participants were questioned about the part of the eye that is transplanted, 56% of the participants correctly answered only cornea is transplanted whereas in a study by Gupta A et al. [2009] among students of a nursing college in Bangalore [14] 74% of the students knew that donated eyes are used for corneal grafting but in a study by Nekar et al [12] 33% of the participants knew that cornea is used in transplantation and 62% thought whole eye is transplanted.

On asking about preserving the retrieved eyes, 41% of our participants felt eyes should be preserved in the eye bank. In a study from kommula et al. [2016] among the medical students [9], 59% of the students responded that eyes needs to be preserved in the eye bank. When asked if a person with Diabetes or Hypertension can donate his/her eyes, only fifteen study participants (08%) answered correctly as yes and 12% students knew that a person who has undergone cataract surgery can donate eyes. Regarding removal of the eyes of the donor at home, 42% of the participants were aware that the eyes can be removed at home but 33% said it is necessary to transport the donor to the hospital after death for donating eyes whereas in a study by Nekar et al [12]

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NC Shwetha et al: A cross sectional study on awareness about eye

74% of the respondents were of the opinion that eyes can be removed in the hospital only and about 18% said can be removed in any convenient place. In the present study 84% of the respondents had not registered for eye donation, similarly 93% of the respondents had not registered in the study by Bhole P et al. [10]

In the present study, we wanted to know the willingness of the students to pledge eyes for donation and the responses are tabulated in Table 2. Majority of the students of the students were ready to pledge (59%), 22% of the study participants needed time to decide, 14% needed consent from family and ten students (05%) were not willing to donate eyes and in a study by Nekar et.al [12] 78% of the respondents were willing to donate eyes after death and 22% were not willing to donate eyes. In a study by Bhattacharya S et al. [11] 78% of the study participants had a favourable perception towards eye donation of which, 41% of the respondents were willing to pledge for eye donation and 18% were unwilling to donate their eyes even though they had a favourable perception.

In the present study, pleasure to help the blind was the reason for the majority of the students to pledge eyes for donation, same reason was given by majority of the students in a study by Nekar et al. [12] Among the students who were not willing to donate eyes, disfigurement of the face and objection from family were the reasons for their decision whereas in a study by Nekar et al [12] lack of interest was the reason given by majority of the students for their decision.

Conclusion

Even though the students have heard about eye donation the knowledge was lacking among students on important aspects of eye donation. A majority of the students knew that there was no age limit for eye donation, and eyes cannot be removed from a living person and also the ideal time for removal of the eyes after death. However, a majority did not know which part of the eye is taken from the donor and were not aware about the preservation of retrieved eyes in the eye bank before transplantation.

A large number of students in the study falsely believed that a person with diabetes and hypertension and a person who has undergone cataract surgery cannot donate eyes.

Most of the study participants have not registered for eye donation; however willingness to pledge the eyes for donation was present among majority of the students. Pleasure to help blind was the main reason for their willingness to pledge eyes.

What does the study add to the existing knowledge?

Young university students are the rich resource of the country. Well informed or educated young minds on importance, need and facts about eye donation can go back to their families and community to motivate a larger group to pledge for eye donation, and thereby contribute towards reducing the burden of corneal blindness.

Recommendations

Along with studies on health care professionals and students, more studies need to be conducted among the students from non-medical background as well. Awareness programs are important in a society where taboos or religious beliefs can form a barrier for eye donation.

Author’s contribution

Dr Shwetha NC: Concept, Manuscript preparation.

Dr Santosh Achappa: Study design, Data Analysis

Dr Deeksha BM: Data collection

Reference

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