Abstract

Background: Eye donation is a vital public health intervention for addressing corneal blindness, yet donation rates remain suboptimal, particularly in rural communities. Understanding the knowledge, willingness, and barriers among adults is essential for designing effective awareness strategies.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in a selected rural community of Coimbatore to assess knowledge, willingness, and barriers related to eye donation among adults. A total of 150 participants aged 18–60 years were recruited using a non-probability convenient sampling technique. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire and analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics

Results: Among the respondents, 89% demonstrated average knowledge, 9% had good knowledge, and 2% had poor knowledge regarding eye donation. Approximately 64% expressed willingness to donate their eyes, while 36% were unwilling. The most commonly reported barrier was family opposition (34%), followed by religious beliefs (12%). No statistically significant association was found between knowledge levels and selected demographic variables.

Conclusion: The study reveals moderate levels of knowledge and willingness toward eye donation among rural adults, with family-related concerns and religious beliefs acting as key barriers. These findings underscore the need for targeted educational interventions and community engagement to enhance awareness and promote eye donation in rural settings.

• 1.   Joshi RS, Goel P, Adatiya VH, Seth AS, Rasal AV. Eye donation: knowledge, beliefs, awareness, and willingness among ambulance drivers in central India. Clin Ophthalmol. 2023;17:1263–1269. doi: 10.2147/OPTH.S401768.
• 2.   Marmamula S, Priya R, Varada R, Keeffe JE. Awareness on eye donation in the north-eastern state of Tripura, India: the Tripura eye survey. Ophthalmic Epidemiol. 2022;29(4):460–464. doi: 10.1080/09286586.2021.1953537.
• 3.   Parija S, Chakraborty K, Sahu DP. A study on knowledge, attitude, and practice about eye donation among medical students and healthcare professionals at a tertiary hospital in eastern India. Indian J Ophthalmol. 2023;71(11):3513–3520. doi: 10.4103/IJO.IJO_2554_22.
• 4.   Narendran V, Padmavathi S, Sangeetha S, Karthik N. Knowledge, awareness and attitude of eye donation among non-clinical staff of a tertiary eye hospital in south India. Indian J Ophthalmol. 2022;70(10):3490–3495. doi: 10.4103/ijo.IJO_725_22.
• 5.   Sridhar U, Tripathy K. Commentary: Awareness about eye donation among medical and nursing students. Indian J Ophthalmol. 2021;69(6):1515–1516. doi: 10.4103/ijo.IJO_3782_20.
• 6.   Tandon R, Verma K, Vanathi M, Pandey RM, Vajpayee RB. Factors affecting eye donation from postmortem cases in a tertiary care hospital. Cornea. 2004;23(6):597–601. doi: 10.1097/01.ico.0000130649.99663.07.
• 7.   Gupta A, Jain S, Jain T, Gupta K. Awareness and perception regarding eye donation in students of a nursing college in Bangalore. Indian J Community Med. 2009;34(2):122–125. doi: 10.4103/0970-0218.48704.
• 8.   Singh MM, Rahi M, Pagare D, Ingle GK. Medical students’ perception on eye donation in Delhi. Indian J Ophthalmol. 2007;55(1):49–53. doi: 10.4103/0301-4738.29528.
• 9.   Dhaliwal U. Enhancing eye donation rates: training students to be motivators. Indian J Ophthalmol. 2002;50(3):209–212. doi: 10.4103/0301-4738.20468.
• 10.   Ronanki VR, Sheeladevi S, Ramachandran BP, Jalbert I. Awareness regarding eye donation among stakeholders in Srikakulam district in South India. BMC Ophthalmol. 2014;14(1):25. doi: 10.1186/1471-2415-14-25.
• 11.   Rao GN, Gopinathan U. Eye banking: an introduction. Community Eye Health. 2009;22(70):46–47. doi: 10.1136/ceh.2009.22.70.046.
• 12.   Gogate B, Gogate P, Khandekar R, Bhargava A, Kurpad S, Deshpande M. Knowledge and attitudes towards eye donation among health professionals in India. Asian J Ophthalmol. 2008;10(3):171–173.

Data Sharing Statement

Funding