Photic sneeze reflex
sneezing in response to numerous stimuli, such as looking at bright lights
The photic sneeze reflex (also known as ACHOO syndrome, a contrived acronym for Autosomal-dominant Compelling Helio-Ophthalmic Outburst) is an inherited and congenital autosomal dominant reflex condition that causes sneezing in response to numerous stimuli, such as looking at bright lights or periocular (surrounding the eyeball) injection. The condition affects 18 to 35% of the world's population, but its exact mechanism of action is not well understood.
Symptoms and signs
Photic sneezing
A photic sneeze results from exposure to a bright light and is the most common manifestation of the photic sneeze reflex. This reflex seems to be caused by a change in light intensity rather than by a specific wavelength.
A survey conducted by the School of Optometry at the University of Alabama at Birmingham found that 67% of respondents who identified as photic sneezers were female and 94% were Caucasian. The study also found that photic sneezing was significantly correlated with those possessing a deviated nasal septum.
Further studies have revealed this mechanism is inherited.
Response to periocular injection
Even less well understood than photic sneezing is sneezing in response to periocular injection, a trait that appears to be inherited in an autosomal dominant fashion. During surgeries in and around the eye, such as corneal transplant surgery, the patient often requires injection of a local anesthetic into the eye. In patients who exhibit the photic sneeze reflex, an injection into the eye, such as a retrobulbar or peribulbar block, can often elicit a sneeze.
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This entry incorporates text from “Photic sneeze reflex” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.