Knowledge and Awareness Regarding Keratoplasty and Eye Donation in High Risk Occupations

Abstract

Purpose: To determine the attitude regarding corneal transplantation or eye donation among high-risk occupations. Methodology: Descriptive cross sectional design was used in this study. Non- probability purposive sampling technique was used. People with age group between 25 to 60 years of either gender were included. Mechanics, Auto Drivers, Tailor, and Welders were included. Age below 25 and above 60 years was excluded. After informed consent, Self-design questionnaire was used to collect data. Data was entered and analyzed in SPSS 25. Mann Whitney-U test was applied to find the significance of data. P value < 0.05 was considered as significant. Results: 64 participants (50.8%) heard about corneal transplantation or eye donation while 62 (49.2%) participants didn't hear about eye donation. Forty one (41 ) participants (11.1%) said that only those people can donate who haven't undergone cataract surgery. Eighty one (81) participants (64.3%) said that only more than 18 years old individuals can donate eyes. Forty Four (44) participants (34.9%) thought that blood group is a hurdle for donation of eye. P-value was 0.034 that is significant. Conclusion: This study concluded that a large proportion of the population do not have proper knowledge regarding corneal transplantation and eye donation. The study reveals that high-risk occupation workers have low level of awareness and knowledge regarding corneal transplantation and eye donation.