CAN NASAL STEROIDS TAKEN FOR ALLERGIES CAUSE EYE PROBLEMS?
Steroids, especially those inhaled through the mouth to control asthma or those taken orally or intravenously for other conditions such as arthritis and emphysema, can cause side effects in the eye, including cataracts and glaucoma. But steroids such as Flonase that are sniffed through the nose appear to be fairly safe for the eye. A British study of 88,000 patients using nasal steroids and 98,000 taking oral steroids showed that although oral steroids can increase the risk for cataracts (a clouding of the lens in the eye), nasal steroids do not.
