Why do I sneeze when I walk outside?

Question

I sneeze just about everytime I walk outside. It seems to occur mostly when it is warm outside. My daughter does this as well -
We have ZERO allergies........ Just curious if someone knows becase I have no idea!!

Answer 1

Up to 25% of us can't escape it. We walk out into the bright sunlight, and then it happens: "Ah choo!" This sneeze reflex is a genuine phenomenon. So what causes it?


Sudden bright stimulation of the eye that occurs after a person has become adapted to darker surroundings is thought to bring on the condition, known as photic sneeze reflex. The reflex also is called Autosomal Dominant Compelling Helioophthalmic Outburst Syndrome, known by the acronym ACHOO. (Not making this up. Really.)

Ophthalmologists conducting eye examinations long have known about the sneeze reflex because it occurs so often under bright light used for viewing the eye’s interior structures.

Because the condition is considered mostly harmless and certainly not life threatening (unless you happen to be landing a plane), there aren’t many scientific studies regarding photic sneeze reflex.

However, the U.S. military has studied the condition in relation to how it might affect fighter pilots.


The common photic sneeze reflex, which often creates multiple sneezes, is considered an inherited condition found more often in Caucasians.

A study reported by the British Journal of Ophthalmology noted that one form of the sneeze reflex appears related to another condition (nephropathic cystinosis) that causes abnormal crystal deposits on the clear front covering of the eye ( cornea). Nephropathic cystinosis, an inherited disease found mostly in Caucasians, is a metabolic condition affecting various parts of the body.

Injections to numb the eye for eye surgeries or procedures also have been associated with a sneeze response, although at least one study notes the condition does not appear the same as the more common photic sneeze reflex.

Speculation continues that more in-depth studies of photic sneeze reflex might enhance understanding of a central nervous system disorder (epilepsy), triggered by stimulus such as strobe lights.

Answer 2

Still could be some unknown allergies, or just pollution in the air can be doing this. With all the chemicals we put in the air and in are bodies, who knows what this does to us..