Intranasal corticosteroids and allergic rhinoconjunctivitis

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To describe recent insight into the efficacy of intranasal corticosteroids in treating ocular signs and symptoms of allergic rhinoconjunctivitis. RECENT FINDINGS: The efficacy of intranasal corticosteroids in treating allergic nasal symptoms is well established, and recent evidence indicates that this class of medication may be effective at alleviating ocular symptoms as well. The present review reveals that the method of scoring ocular symptoms in a clinical trial may influence whether statistically significant improvements are detected among patients using intranasal corticosteroids. Improvement is more likely to be detected if symptoms are scored individually rather than pooled into a single ocular symptom score. Furthermore, the practice of allowing rescue medications likewise may preclude the ability to detect statistically significant differences in allergic eye symptoms between intranasal corticosteroids and controls. SUMMARY: Recent data show a promising effect of intranasal corticosteroids on ocular symptoms of allergic rhinoconjunctivitis. Additional trials should be conducted that require individuals to score ocular symptoms individually and forbid the use of rescue medications.