posted
OK, here's the deal. My hubby and I have had a long-standing friendly disagreement about this. Ever since I can remember, I have experienced the phenomenon of sneezing right after walking out into bright sunlight. The light stings my eyes, which triggers a tickle in my sinuses, and a sneeze often results. I can feel it. It doesn't happen every time, but it happens fairly frequently.
My husband thinks this is the silliest thing ever. He has never experienced it and thinks it's all in my head. My family members experience it also, and I tell you, I have seen my kids do it.
Recently I was with my husband's entire immediate family, pleading for evidence for my case. I started, "You know how bright sunlight can make you sneeze? Well...." Their response was a collective, "Whaaa?" and I was promptly laughed at.
So, I thought I would ask you wonderful, knowledgable people. Who here has experienced this phenomenon? And just out of curiosity, if you have, is it related to having light colored eyes? My mom swears that people with light colored eyes tend to be more sensitive to bright light. I don't know if that is true or not. I also wonder if this sneezing phenomenon is genetic thus explaining the utter lack of occurrance in his family.
Or is it all in our heads, either mine or theirs? Perhaps they have done it and not realized or I am having some weird psycosomatic response based on falsehood past down generation to generation.
Posts: 7050 | Registered: Feb 2004
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posted
I don't think it's ever happened to me, although there are plenty of other things outdoors that make sneeze. However, you're not nuts. I have heard about this from lots of people. It's actually quite common.
Posts: 1652 | Registered: Aug 2003
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posted
I have often experienced it, while driving in my car. I'll make the turn and the sun will be glaring off the dirt on my windshield. Im forced to look through because Im driving, and it will cause me to sneeze. Also when I walk outside and the light is just right. I believe in it... but im not sure how scientific it is... Posts: 879 | Registered: Aug 2000
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You know how sometimes if you're chewing, you cough and a piece of whatever you were chewing goes into your nasal passage and makes your nose twitch and want to sneeze?
Well, I did that one time with a Sun Chip (French Onion). Kinda similar.
Posts: 5264 | Registered: Jul 2002
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posted
I actually got my light sensitivity after using tetracycline (for severe acne), which is a possible side effect. Starting in college, if I went from dark to light, my nose tickles and I let out a nice dry sneeze.
-Bok
EDIT: Hmm, maybe it's just genetic, but it never happened before college (and after tetracycline, which is known to cause light sensitivity) to me.
posted
I refuse to believe it's genetic until they find the DNA code!
See, the folks who don't believe in ACHOO sneezing will think this is fluff. But I can tell you that I do have this, even though my eyes are so dark you can't actually see the pupils without an electric torch. Though my mother did have blue eyes.
I think the sun causes my eyes to water, which primes the nose to sneeze. I don't do it often, though. I guess you could say I'm metro-sneezable.
Posts: 666 | Registered: Dec 2003
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posted
Thanks to Dag's link giving this phenomenon a name that I can google, I have been researching this a bit more an the two prominent theories are "crossed wires" in the brain and eyes watering into the nose.
Posts: 7050 | Registered: Feb 2004
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quote:...even though my eyes are so dark you can't actually see the pupils without an electric torch.
Electric torch? We call that a flashlight here in America, Trisha. You aren't from the UK! Silly Americans trying to be British - just like Madonna with her faux accent.
I would think the ACHOO reflex would be an undesirable trait and I'm surprised humans have it. 3,000 years ago, a man might have stepped out of the jungle into bright sunlight momentarily, sneezed, and then got eaten by large predators alerted to his presence by the sneeze. Or unnecessary sneezing would have alerted prey he was hunting, causing them to scamper away, leaving him hungry.
Posts: 1423 | Registered: Sep 2003
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I thought about flashlight, but it's kind of a violent word. I was trying to think of a synonym that better described the little lights they used to examine eyes rather than the kind that cops use to scare kids who are making out in the back seats of cars.
Posts: 666 | Registered: Dec 2003
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posted
Sorry for the late entry, but yes I too sneeze just after entering bright sunlight, and only sneeze for the first minute or two. Then I'm golden!
Posts: 1870 | Registered: Mar 2003
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Me and Kira are both affected by the sun this way. I never even noticed it till one day i had to sneeze and she said, "look at the sun, it'll help". and it worked! good thing i was one of those 30%.
I asked someone at work why that happened and they said something along the lines of the light overloaded your nasal receptors or something like that. Is that complete BS or is there validity to that?
Posts: 8741 | Registered: Apr 2001
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I had a real hard time convincing people I sneeze in pairs. (ie. whenever I sneeze I sneeze again a few seconds later.)
Posts: 2489 | Registered: Jan 2002
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This happens to me all the time. Don't know if it has anything to do with eye color, though. I have hazel eyes - they're sort of amber colored with green flecks.
Actually it is really helpful to have this. Sometimes when I get that awful feeling of needing to sneeze, but can't quite get it out, I just run out into the sun (or look toward any other bright light; that works as well) and the sneeze comes out nice as you please.
Posts: 2454 | Registered: Jan 2003
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posted
I have a few friends who have that problem. Me, I have sneezing fits when I pluck my eyebrows.
Posts: 4089 | Registered: Apr 2003
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I once sneezed and managed to keep my eyes open. My eyes didn't pop out, but they did hurt a lot.
Posts: 16551 | Registered: Feb 2003
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Nope. The sun usually makes me want to nap. Sun-drenched happy episodes are the usual dreamy fare.
Posts: 3061 | Registered: Mar 2004
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Yes, and almost always in sets of two or three. Although, recently I have had more singleton sneezes, which before this year happened only once in a blue moon.
Posts: 1592 | Registered: Jan 2001
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I sneeze almost every time I walk outside on a nice day. I only sneeze once, within seconds of going outside, and that's it. I have always wondered what caused it. I thought maybe it was just something in the air. I never thought about it being the sun. I am every sensitive to bright lights and I do have hazel eyes. hmmm
Posts: 684 | Registered: Aug 2001
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I sneeze at the sun on very hot days. I am not very sensitive to it, but it does happen pretty much when I look directly at the Sun at a very high angle.
Posts: 2207 | Registered: Oct 2003
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I never used to have sun-sneezes, but a few summers ago I started sneezing, and now I sometimes sneeze when I enter the sunlight, or feel like sneezing.
I have brown eyes.
EDIT: Sneeze is a funny word when used a lot. Heh.
posted
I sneeze because of bright light as well and I almost always sneeze twice in rapid succession. My wife always waits for the second sneeze to say bless you/gezundheit.
Posts: 1336 | Registered: Mar 2002
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quote: I sneeze almost every time I walk outside on a nice day. I only sneeze once, within seconds of going outside, and that's it. ...I do have hazel eyes.
Exact same for me. Only thing is that when I was a younger it didn't work for me. Only in the last 5-10 years. Personally, I don't sneeze often, unless it's a sun-sneeze. I'm a habitual mouth breather.
One other strange phenomenon is that chocolate can make me sneeze. It helps if it's on the dark/bitter side and not milk chocolate, but I've sneezed to both.
Posts: 995 | Registered: May 2003
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posted
Would you guys mind helping me with my project? It would not require much...I might ask a few questions and try to assemble a pedigree...it would be nothing personal or offensive, I promise.
But it would make for a very unique project.
Posts: 515 | Registered: Mar 2004
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That's what I figured -- and why I haven't volunteered, even though I think it's a cool idea. Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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