Posters
Awareness and beliefs regarding corneal donation in Greece
Poster Details
First Author: D.Tsigkos GREECE
Co Author(s): D. Kopsini A. Tzelepi D. Manolakou E. Konistis S. Palioura
Abstract Details
Purpose:
To assess the beliefs of the Greek population regarding cornea donation and transplantation and people's willingness to donate their corneas.
Setting:
Population based study in Greece, organized by the Hellenic Eye Bank Demokritos* 'Grigoris Georgariou' and the non-profit group The Visionaries(*Democritos: National Center of Scientific Research)
Methods:
A semi-structured online questionnaire was used to collect information regarding each individual��s awareness, perception and attitude towards cornea donation. The questionnaire provided interactive feedback with images and videos to the responders and their willingness to become a cornea donor was assessed at the beginning and the end of the questionnaire.
Results:
From 1532 responders, 78% were aware of cornea blindness, and 59% of cornea transplantation. 38,6% knew that corneal blindness is reversible with transplantation and 33,8% that transplantation is performed in Greece. There was considerable ambiguity regarding eligibility criteria for cornea donation. Willingness to become a cornea donor increased from 42,2% to 56,7% at the end of the survey (p <0.0001). Nobility of the act of donation and giving the gift of sight were the main motives towards cornea donation, while concerns about the use of donated corneas was the major deterrent.
Conclusions:
Voluntary eye donation depends on awareness of the public. In Greece, a large majority was unaware of the value of cornea transplantation and the legislation concerning cornea donation. Awareness campaigns can increase willingness to become an organ donor by providing information on the process and moral transparency of donation.
Financial Disclosure:
NONE
