Awareness regarding eye donation in an urban slum population: A community-based survey

Abstract

Objectives: Our objective was to assess the awareness of eye donation in an urban slum population and willingness to donate eyes after death. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional, populationbased study was undertaken in 20 urban slum clusters of the Indian capital, New Delhi. A total of 2004 individuals aged 18 years and older were recruited. After written, informed consent was obtained, knowledge regarding eye donation was assessed through a predesigned close-ended questionnaire. The questionnaire was framed so as to understand the sociodemographic factors influencing the willingness to donate and the awareness of eye donation in this distinct population. Results: The mean age of the recruited individuals was 36.53 ± 13.68 years. Age did not have any significant effect on awareness regarding eye donation. We observed that 34.3% of the study population had no knowledge of eye donation and that 7.78% of the study population had excellent knowledge. Education seemed to be an important determining factor regarding knowledge of eye donation. Multivariable logistic regression demonstrated better awareness among the Hindu population (81.1%) and those belonging to a higher caste (P