Cornea donation: increasing tissue supplies.

Postmortem cornea retrieval rates are inadequate to meet transplantation demands. Comparison of annual deaths versus donations (1982 to 1985) between Eisenhower Army Medical Center and the Medical College of Georgia reveals that Eisenhower had lower rates of cornea donation. Attitudinal surveys showed that physicians omitting organ donation requests rarely found personal objections to the request. Few house staff were familiar, initially, with correct criteria for cornea donation. Presentation of this information to physicians increased donation requests and consequently organ retrieval. This trial's success prompted requests for expansion of donation information to include other tissues.