ATTN: Please respond, all of yas.

[besubversive]

So, I needed to sneeze and jokingly turned on my lamp and looked into it. Carly was confused, so I explained that looking into a bright light, usually the sun, can sometimes make me sneeze. I am positive I am not the only one this happens to. Carly, being a medical student, insists that there is no possible correlation.

My question to you: Do any of you, or have any of you, sneeze(d) while looking into the sun or a bright lamp?

In the name of science, please respond.

Comments

[bearsir.livejournal.com]

Is true. You win. It makes your pupils dilate, which can trigger the sneeze reflex. Or that's what I remember, anyhow.

[likeacannonball.livejournal.com]

Yep, that's pretty much it.

yes

[gypsyecks.livejournal.com]

Also, the sun powered sneeze was documented on one of my favorite old TV shows, Pete and Pete, in the episode where the kids try to stay up to spite their parents. One of the kids uses the sun sneeze to stay awake.

There's also something about it with air force pilots, but I can't remember what.

[tonyinabag.livejournal.com]

i dont know if i have or not, but reading this made me feel like i needed to sneeze.

[bafleyanne.livejournal.com]

I do, and so does Jamie. :)

[thesibylqueen.livejournal.com]

I think you're right--It's called autosomal dominant compelling helioophthalmic outburst syndrome, or its too cute acronym,
ACHOO (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/dispomim.cgi?id=100820). Some anthropologists theorized this reflex came about as a way to make sure humans don't stare at the sun and burn out their eyeballs.

[sathethert.livejournal.com]

Yes, it's totally normal. And for a med student to claim it has no correlation is insane. It's been documented in medical journals since magazines and journals came into use.

[besubversive.livejournal.com]

Well, really she's a nursing student, I just meant a student in the business of doctorin'.

[ellettra.livejournal.com]

yes indeedy! OFTEN with sun, only sometimes with a lamp, and yes, it's wierd, but it works. :)

[dead-grass.livejournal.com]

yeah i do that too. it almost always works.