Bright Lights Make You Sneeze?

It was a very long day in clinic today. There were many new patients and others who were added on to my full schedule. Most adult patients get a dilated eye exam since it may be their only clinic visit for a year or longer. Dilating the pupils offers me the clearest view of the retina, the part of the exam called ophthalmoscopy. One specific technique, indirect ophthalmoscopy, provides a stereoscopic 3D view of the back of the eye. The only drawback is that it requires the use of a very bright illuminating headlamp - not unlike a coal miner. Maybe you have endured this procedure.

It surprised me today how often my patients sneezed when I began indirect ophthalmoscopy. This well-recognized phenomenon is called photic sneezing. Perhaps 1-in-10 adults overall are susceptible. It seemed to me that many more were sneezing today. Photic sneezing is not dangerous and only happens once per exam.

There are many interesting theories to explain photic sneezing but there remains no consensus. Would it surprise you to learn that a team of Neurologists is researching the genetic inheritance of this peculiar human behavior? Click here to learn more about photic sneezing.

Photic sneezing, another reason why eye doctors maintain such a huge supply of Kleenex in their clinics!


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