Definition:
Photic sneezing is a genetic autosomal dominant trait, which causes sneezing when exposed suddenly to bright light,
possibly many times consecutively. It is also pertains to photic sneeze response, sun sneezing, photogenic
sneezing, the photosternutatory reflex, being photo sensitive, or even whimsically as ACHOO syndrome with its
related backronym Autosomal dominant Compelling Helio-Ophthalmic Outburst syndrome. The condition affects 17 to
35 percent to humans.
Diagnosis:
Tears leaking in to the nose through the nasolacrimal duct.
The speed of the reflex seems to be favorable for the first theory, as it happens much too quickly for tears to
be generated and drain into the nose.
Treatment:
Recent research has shown that antihistamines being used to treat rhinitis due to seasonal allergies may also
reduce the occurrence of solar sneezes in those people suffering from both conditions.
Symptoms and Signs:
The syndrome is one of the most frequent of all known genetic traits. It is inherited in an autosomal dominant
manner, affecting males and females alike, who have half a chance of passing the achoo gene to each of their
children who will have the disorder.
Causes:
The probable cause is a congenital malfunction in nerve signals in the trigeminal nerve nuclei. The fifth cranial
nerve, called the trigeminal nerve, is the one responsible for sneezes. Research suggests that people who had been
association between this nerve and the nerve that transmits visual impulses to the brain.
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