Eye Drops, Ear Drops, and Nasal Sprays While Fasting

Q: Do eye drops, ear drops, or nasal sprays break the fast?

A: Eye drops, ear drops, and nasal sprays invalidate the fast if the substance is tasted in the throat or known to reach the internal cavity.

The Ḥanbalī jurists state that if a person applies something to the eye and knows that it reached the throat, the fast is invalidated. This is because the eye is considered a passageway to the interior, even if it is not a usual one.

The same principle applies to nasal sprays. If the substance is tasted in the throat or known to penetrate into the cranial cavity, the fast is invalidated due to deliberate internal entry.

Likewise, ear drops invalidate the fast if it is known that the substance reaches the interior.

The ruling in all of these cases returns to the same principle: when a substance is deliberately introduced through a passageway and reaches the internal body cavity, the fast is broken.

Source: Kashshaf al-Qina & Sharh al-Muntaha