If Sudden Sunlight Makes You Sneeze, You May Have This Syndrome

Going from dark to light makes it especially likely.

I’ve begun to refer to a junction near my home as “sneeze corner”.

While the pavement outside my flat is shady, the path perpendicular to it is almost always sunny – inevitably, passing from one to the other makes my eyes water and my nose twitch. I usually sneeze about three times afterwards.

It turns out I am not alone, and that I likely have a condition with a (surprisingly cute) name: ACHOO syndrome.

What is ACHOO syndrome?

The name, which stands for Autosomal Dominant Compelling Helio-Ophthalmic Outburst, refers to “uncontrollable sneezing in response to the sudden exposure to bright light, typically intense sunlight”, the clinician resource book Medical Genetics Summaries (MGS) explained. It’s also known as photic sneezing.

The Cleveland Clinic said it could happen due to all kinds of sudden bright light, though it’s more common in sunlight.

Those with the condition find that when they go from dark (or shade) into bright light quickly, they can’t help but........

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