Public opinion concerning corneal donation and transplant: a survey from Izmir, Turkey.

OBJECTIVES: As the deceased-donor organ shortage has become a common problem, we sought to investigate the attitudes of people in Izmir, Turkey, concerning corneal donation and transplant.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: A questionnaire designed to collect demographic data and determine attitudes concerning corneal donation and transplant, based on 9 questions, was prepared and administered to 1000 people that presented to our outpatient clinics in 2009.

RESULTS: Among the respondents, 54.7% were willing to donate their corneas, while 84.3% were willing to receive corneas, and 15.4% were opposed corneal transplant. Attitudes toward corneal donation were significantly more positive in those with more education than in those with less education. Among participants, the ratio of a positive attitude toward donation significantly increased with decreasing age (P < .001), with a maximum of 66.7% among participants aged 18-24 years and 46.2% among those aged > 65 years. The positive attitude increased with increasing level of education. The donor parameters reported to be of the most importance were religion, nationality, country, ethnicity, and sex (31.3%, 25.1%, 23.5%, 22.8%, and 20.8%).

CONCLUSIONS: The primary factor associated with negative attitudes toward organ/tissue donation and receipt is low education. This result suggests that educating and motivating the public might help increase the rate of consent for organ and tissue donation and transplant.