About one in four people are prone to sneezing due to the exposure of their eyes to the sun.
- One in four people are prone to sneezing due to exposure of their eyes to the sun, a phenomenon called “heliotropic sneeze syndrome”.
- The so-called heliotropic sneeze originates in the brain and not in the nose.
- This uncontrollable reaction is hereditary.
A study reported by BFM TV indicates that approximately one in four people are prone to sneezing due to exposure of their eyes to the sun, a phenomenon called “heliotropic sneeze syndrome”. What are the causes and how to prevent this disorder? We investigated.
Origin of heliotropic sneeze syndrome
Heliotropic sneeze syndrome is a physiological disorder that occurs when a person is exposed to sunlight, usually after exposure to darkness. This runaway reaction is hereditary and if one parent has the syndrome, the child has a one in two chance of inheriting it, according to the US Center for Biotechnology Information.
Causes of Heliotropic Sneeze Syndrome
The so-called heliotropic sneeze originates in the brain and not in the nose, since it occurs after simply raising the head and turning towards the sun, according to new work carried out by an English team within the University of Oxford.
The phenomenon is due to a short circuit between the optic and trigeminal nerves, caused by the flickering of light and irritation of the nasal passages.“When the optic nerve is stimulated, by interference, the trigeminal nerve is also stimulated and therefore we sneeze. We can’t help it, it’s a reflex”, explains Alain Ducardonnet, health specialist at BFMTV.
How to prevent heliotropic sneeze syndrome?
Unfortunately, there is no cure for heliotropic sneeze syndrome, but prevention is possible. Wearing sunglasses can thus help reduce symptoms by avoiding direct exposure of the eyes to the sun.
Thierry Bour, president of the national union of ophthalmologists, judges that for tinted glasses, a protection factor of 3 is sufficient to protect his eyes from light.
At this time of year, repetitive sneezing can also be due to a pollen allergy.