The impact of pre-existing eye donation awareness of the next of kin on donation rate after grief counseling - A cross-sectional study.

This cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the impact of pre-existing eye donation awareness of the next of kin on the donation rate after grief counseling with due ethical approval. The N=164 most stable next-of-kin, mostly the Brother (20.7%) or Father (20.1%) of the deceased, were approached by the Eye Donation Counselor (EDC). After assessing their awareness about eye donation through the "Awareness and Perception on Eye Donation" questionnaire (Ronanki, V.R, et. al), the EDC grief counseled the next of kin. 84.8% of all participants were aware of eye donation. The mean awareness, knowledge, and perception scores of the study population were 2.46 +/- 1.34 out of 4, 2.73 +/- 2.37 out of 6, and 1.79 +/- 1.72 out of 4 respectively. Eye care professionals (N=105 (64%)) and mass media (N=61 (37.2%)) were identified as the most common sources of information. While 52.4% expressed willingness to donate, only 7.3% donated and there was 1 voluntary donation. Counseling and the belief of eye donation being a noble deed were identified as the major motivators, and objections by other family members, and religious beliefs were the major barriers. There is no significant association between eye donation and the pre-existing awareness of the next of kin regarding eye donation. Although awareness is associated with the increased willingness to donate eyes.