Do Eye, Ear, Nose Drops Invalidate Fasting?

by Abbas Jahangir · March 3, 2022

Does Using Drops During Ramadan Break the Fast? One of the ways to get rid of health problems is to use drops that will relieve complaints. The drops should be given under the supervision of a doctor and should be used regularly. The drops recommended for eye infections and ear infections will take effect in a short time and prevent discomfort.

You may have to use drops due to various diseases during the month of Ramadan, the sultan of 11 months. There may be drops given before the month of Ramadan and that you need to continue using during this period. In such cases, people may experience confusion about whether the drops invalidate the fast, as with oral medications.

Do the drops recommended for eye or ear ailments affect your fast? The most obvious answer to this question is the Presidency of Religious Affairs.

We will give you answers to the questions of whether using eye drops while fasting breaks the fast and whether ear drops break the fast. Let’s find out together how these issues were evaluated by the Presidency of Religious Affairs !

Do eye drops invalidate fasting? Religious Answer

Every year, when the Ramadan period comes, questions are frequently asked to the personnel of the Presidency of Religious Affairs.
Among the questions asked, the situations that break the fast are very dominant.
It is observed that those who will fast are sensitive to not breaking their fast. From the drugs used to the blood test, people want to know the right ones.
This year, one of the subjects that people are most curious about is whether ear and eye drops break the fast.
Let’s start with the question of whether using eye drops breaks the fast.
The Diyanet gave the clearest answer to this issue: “Since eye drops are not taken into the body orally, they do not break the fast.”
While some of the drops used are expelled by the eyelids, some are preserved in the pores.
The drops protected in the pores heal the diseases in the eye.
If you need to use eye drops while fasting and you hesitate; You can heal your disease by using your eye drops without worry.
Because eye drops are not a condition that invalidates the fast and are used safely by fasting people.
If someone around you is in a dilemma whether dripping eye drops breaks the fast; You can explain to that person that the eye drops will not affect the fast.
Although the question of whether using eye drops breaks the fast causes questions in people’s minds every year; The answer to this question is the same every year. When the month of Ramadan comes, you can continue to use eye drops without interruption.
It was stated by the Diyanet that eye drops that do not fall on the agenda of Ramadan break the fast, and explanations were made so that people’s health checks are not neglected.
To summarize, the use of eye drops recommended for burning eyes does not prevent fasting. If your doctor has given you a drop that heals eye burning and you need to use it while fasting, you can use this drop without neglecting it. Thus, you will continue to protect eye health during Ramadan.
Moisturizing eye drops are also recommended for dry eyes. If your eye doctor has given you such drops; You can use it while fasting. Eye drops that come into contact with the eye do not break the fast.

Well, do eye drops flow into the throat?

Let’s give a brief explanation for those who are worried.
With proper use, the drop flows from the channel where the tears come from to the throat and nose.
There may also be a slight sensation in the throat during the passage.
In order to prevent this, you can close your eyes immediately after applying the drop and gently press the part of the eyes near the nose inward for a few minutes.

Do Ear Drops Invalidate Fasting?

After the question of whether pouring drops into the eyes invalidates the fast, another question asked to Diyanet employees is whether ear drops affect the fast.
Ear drops are drugs used in ear infections and have great importance in protecting hearing ability.
The channels between the ear and the throat can make people think a little. The question arises, will the ear drops reach the throat through these channels?
Since the eardrum closes the channels leading to the throat, the ear drops you will use will not reach the throat.
Since nothing is done about the act of eating and drinking, ear drops do not affect your fasting.
If you need to use ear drops during Ramadan, you should use ear drops safely.
Ear drops, which have a great effect on protecting the health of the ear, do not break the fast.
According to the statement made by the Presidency of Religious Affairs, ear drops given by the doctor for ear diseases do not affect the fasting of the fasting person.
You can use ear drops while fasting during Ramadan or other periods. Do not forget that you can continue your treatment and fasting without neglecting your health. Since ear drops are not food, they can be used easily on fasting days.
There is no harm in using ear drops according to the treatment recommendation and how many times a day it is written.
We would like to make a note on a different subject.
The answer to the question whether ear drops invalidate the ablution is the same as the answer to the question whether ear drops break the fast, namely no.

The Presidency of Religious Affairs made the following statement about ear drops:

Even if there is a hole in the eardrum, the medicine dropped into the ear will be absorbed in the ear, so the medicine will either not reach the stomach at all or very little.
Moreover, this process does not mean eating and drinking.
Therefore, ear drops do not break the fast. (DIYK 22. Decision dated 09.2005; see Merğînânî, el-Hidaye, II, 263; Kâsânî, Bedâî’, II, 98; İbn bidîn, Raddü’l-muhtar, III, 367, 376).

Is Nasal drops invalidate fasting?

Since we touched on the topic of drops, let’s give some information about nasal drops.
You don’t have to worry about whether nasal drops break the fast because the answer to this question is no, as with other drops.
According to the Diyanet’s statement, a very small amount of nasal drops is likely to reach the stomach.
Even if this possibility is realized, the amount is not at a level that will cause the fast to be broken.
Since the purpose of using nasal spray is not eating or drinking, the fast does not break.