I’m so embarrassed to go to the eye doctor. Every time she shines a light into my eyes, I sneeze. I have no history of allergies. Why does this happen?
More people than you think sneeze when looking at a bright light (about 20% of the population). It is called the photic sneeze reflex. As is true of all reflexes, it happens without your control.
When the optic nerve first senses light, it is supposed to send a signal to the brain to make the pupil smaller, thus minimizing the effects of overwhelming light. In those who experience the photic sneeze reflex, the signal that is sent along the optic nerve (pupil pathway) also spreads to the neighboring trigeminal nerve (sneeze pathway). This “crossed wire” effect triggers the pupil to get smaller and a simultaneous sneeze. Sunglasses can minimize the affect when outdoors.
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