Determinants of next-of-kin consent in corneal donation: A retrospective study from eastern India

PURPOSE: To identify the primary consent provider across different donor age groups and assess whether consent decisions are influenced by donors' gender and cause of death. METHODS: Donor records were retrieved from the Drushti Daan Eye Bank at L V Prasad Eye Institute, Bhubaneswar, India. All corneal donations between January 2022 and April 2024 were analyzed. Data included demographic and circumstantial variables such as the next-of-kin (NoK) identity, donor age, gender, cause of death, and type of donation. RESULTS: A total of 2,187 donor records were analyzed. Male NoKs had consented more than females (P < 0.0001). Fathers were the primary consent providers for donors aged 1-20 years (51.4%), brothers for 21-40 years (46.2%), and sons for 41-60 years (36.5%) and >60 years (65.3%). For male donors, brothers were the most common NoKs (35.7%), while sons were the most common for female donors (27.5%). In unnatural deaths, children and grandchildren were the leading NoKs (43.3%), while siblings provided consent in natural deaths (35.5%). Children/grandchildren provided the most voluntary consent (72.9%), while siblings were predominant among motivated donors (32.6%). CONCLUSION: Demographic and circumstantial factors significantly influence NoK consent. Targeted awareness efforts and further research are essential to improve consent rates for eye donation.