Sneezing at the sudden exposure to bright light is known as autosomal dominant compelling helio-ophthalmic outburst (ACHOO) syndrome, or photic sneezing, and affects up to 35% of the population (Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2017;274:1721–1725). The disorder is characterized as paroxysms of sneezing provoked as a reflex, ranging anywhere from two to 40 sneezes.
Up until recently, the cause of this phenomenon had not been thoroughly investigated. A 1993 study found that the physiologic response was not a reaction to specific wavelengths of light, but instead to changes in brightness (Mil Med. 1993;158:806–809). This is why very often, people sneeze when they look up at the sun.
A study conducted in 2016 found that 67% of participants diagnosed with ACHOO syndrome had prominent corneal nerves, to some degree (Arch Soc Esp Oftalmol. 2016;91:305–309). This could possibly be associated with the disorder; however, the study only examined 12 members of one family.
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