Effect of topical nasal steroids on intra-ocular pressure in a Nepalese population: a tertiary hospital based prospective observational study

BACKGROUND: Impact of intranasal corticosteroid (INC) on intraocular pressure (IOP) has been a topic of longstanding debate with various studies showing variable results. This study aims to assess the effect of INC on IOP in the Nepalese population in a tertiary hospital of Nepal. METHODOLOGY: This was prospective observational study conducted in a tertiary hospital from May 2021 to November 2022. IOP of patients who met our inclusion criteria were measured before and after 6 weeks of the initiation of INC. Data were collected and compiled in Microsoft Excel. The statistical test was done using SPSS version 25. RESULTS: A total of 48 cases were evaluated. We observed that the mean IOP difference before and after nasal steroid usage exhibited no statistically significant variance: 0.5 mean IOP in the right eye and 0.12 mean IOP in the left eye. CONCLUSIONS: This study proposes that intranasal steroids pose a minimal risk of inducing ocular hypertension in the Nepalese population. Nonetheless, larger cohort studies with extended follow-up durations are warranted to substantiate these findings.