Eye Donation:Awareness and Willingness among Patients Attending a Tertiary Eye Center in Ghana.

Background: Eye donation for corneal transplant holds the key for visual restoration from corneal diseases. Consequently, knowing the level of awareness of eye donation and willingness among potential donors to donate their eyes after death to ensure availability of donated cornea for transplantation is very crucial. This baseline information is essential for planning towards the establishment of an eye bank.
Aim: To determine the level of awareness of eye donation and willingness to donate among patients attending the Eye Clinic at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.
Study Design: Cross-sectional study.
Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was done among 536 eye patients selected by convenient sampling and interviewed using a semi-structured administered questionnaire at the Eye Clinic at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression were performed at 5% level of significance.
Results: Awareness of eye donation and willingness to donate eyes after death were observed in 45 (8.40%) and 321(59.90%) of respondents respectively. Age group 60 and above [AOR = 2.62; CI (0.94-7.31); P=0.04] and education at the professional and tertiary levels [AOR = 4.00 (1.08-14.81); P= 0.03] were possible predictors of awareness of eye donation whilst education was the only predictor of willingness to donate an eye. The main source of awareness of eye donation was through healthcare personals and the media (46.70 %), while the optimal time for eye donation was known by 17.80 % of those who were aware of eye donation.
Conclusion: Even though few respondents were aware of eye donation, majority of the respondents were ready to pledge their eyes for donation after death. There is the need for public education on the benefits of eye donation.