Knowledge and Attitude Practices Regarding Eye Donation among University Students of Lahore: A Cross-Sectional Institution-Based Study

Abstract

This is a cross-sectional study that evaluated the awareness, knowledge, and attitudes towards eye donation among 1,200 health faculty students in Lahore, Pakistan. A self-administered structured questionnaire was used to collect data related to demographic data, academic background, and questions that assessed knowledge and perceptions on eye donation. The responses were interpreted using descriptive statistical analysis. According to the results, 68% of respondents were aware of eye donation, with 29.5% and 26.8% of participants having friends or family and social media as the main sources of information, respectively. But there were only 37.7% of respondents who were willing to donate their eyes after death. The majority of students revealed poor knowledge in the technical side of the eye donor practice, about 54.45% of the students portrayed positive views, whereas 45.6% portrayed negative views. These results demonstrate the existence of a significant disconnection between positive perception and sufficient knowledge among health faculty students. It was found that despite the awareness, the lack of technical knowledge is a potential problem that may impede the advocacy of eye donation. Limitations are due to the cross-sectional nature and the use of self-reported responses that can impact the generalizability. The results highlight the importance of specific educational interventions, curriculum consolidation, and sensitization in the health institutions to improve the knowledge and promote the practice of eye donation. Future studies need to be conducted with bigger and multi-institutional samples to assess the impact of educational interventions on enhancing awareness and intentions to donate their corneas.