Imagine you’re on an early morning stroll to your favorite coffee shop. It’s a beautifully crisp fall setting, the sun is fully out, and you’re layered up just enough to neither be too hot nor cold. The smell of fresh foliage falling to the ground fuses with the cartoonishly alluring scent of your favorite frappe. As you approach the front, a man exits and kindly offers to hold the door for you. However, before you can notice, the man sneezes in your direction, noticeably mucking up your nicely woven cream sweater. You would probably be upset, right? Maybe voice your displeasure to the man? This could potentially ruin your whole morning considering the deceiving lack of foreshadowing and joyful, yet naïve, leadup to the fateful incident. Now imagine this situation again, but this time the man has Tourette’s Syndrome. As he opens the door for you, he uncontrollably lets out “That’s a fine piece of meat.” You would similarly be shaken up upon hearing this, right? But after quick examination of the situation you can quickly realize that the man in question has little control over his “tics” and was not trying to come on to you. Sadly, the “sneeze” does not receive the same level of grace.

Instead, the former scenario outlines the pitiful plight for a poor person plagued with Photic Sneeze Reflex – a condition that causes reflexive sneezing at the sight of bright light or stimuli, most commonly as a result of viewing the Sun. The trigger though can be as simple as an incandescent office light or a bed lamp or an electronic screen. As a result, a nose can blow at any time. But if you asked a random group of people if they were familiar with this ailment, they would most likely say no. This petition aims to bring to light the seriousness of solar sternutation and start a dialogue for support and representation.

It comes in many sneezes and names: PSR, Sun Sneezing, photoptarmosis, and ACHOO, standing for Autosomal Dominant Compelling Helio-ophthalmic Outburst Syndrome. Quite the mouthful and, incidentally, nose-full. However, this is no matter to snoot at. Sun Sneezing affects between 18 and 35% of the world’s population. From the National Library of Medicine, "if one parent is affected, their child has a 50% chance of inheriting the syndrome." It’s unavoidable, uncontrollable, and incurable. Essentially, it’s an involuntary action that can cause serious bodily harm or even death. For instance, in a landmark exposé, Business Insider notes that the risks of an ACHOO include, but are not limited to, ill-timed “sneezing episodes” while:

• [Operating] heavy machinery
• [Working] with power tools
• [Driving] a motorized vehicle, like a car or a motorcycle
• [Flying] a plane

It is paramount to emphasize the “but are not limited to” here. Because, in addition, PSR could rear its ugly nose while:

• Kissing the bride
• Performing surgery
• Dropping a nuclear bomb
• Shooting Bin Laden
• Etc.

All of these examples could result in certain death if not executed with exact time and precision. It’s no wonder why it’s an American custom to receive a “bless you” after surviving a potentially fatal sneeze. Even esteemed medical professionals have correctly dubbed this as a syndrome given the devastating magnitude of the ACHOO.

Unfortunately, understanding and acknowledgment of the perils of Photic Sneeze Reflex have not yet become ubiquitous. Let’s revisit the percentage of ACHOO’ers – 18-35%. Here are some figures to put this into context: According to Christopher McManus' study, “The Surprising Geography of American Left-Handedness,” there are about 12% of Americans that are left-handed and nearly 5.6% of U.S. adults identify as LGBT. In his experiment, a parallel is made between the two groups that after centuries of being vilified and stigmatized, more and more people have “come out,” per say, as perception of the groups has positively changed. There are two obvious conclusions that can be made here:

First, this data can be extrapolated to people suffering from ACHOO. As we as a society become more aware about Photic Sneeze Reflex and those suffering from it, then widespread opinion will shift positively and more people will change their tune. If you don’t believe that “Sneezers” (a previously derogatory term that the community has taken back) have been demonized throughout history, then look at the very real and graphic image below, colorized circa 2024. A poor and short kid at recess is being laughed at by his “peers” for his sneezing syndrome. Do you know what kind of irreparable damage that could do to a child’s confidence? Not only does he have to deal with the dangers of Sun Sneezing, but also public embarrassment at the hands of ableist bullies? The worst of it is there are actually infinite examples just like this of sneezer sneering. Sadly, that is not a hyperbole.

 

 

 

 

Secondly, the percentage of left-handed and LGBT people pale in comparison to Sun Sneezers, but have far greater movements and followings. Why is that? For one, both minority groups have vaulted into the public eye and divided into a “left vs. right” debate. This polarization has catalyzed lots of discussion and engagement numbers, with some arguing that you should stick with the side you were born with. That discourse however is best left for the right site, not this one. Another reason is that LGBTQ has become a universal community and a means/purpose to rally and feel pride in oneself and one's identity. Similarly, left-handers developed both a Left-Handers Club and Association to represent the sides of the southpaws. On top of that, there exists a whole day and month to celebrate the Left-Handers and LGBTQ, respectively. Despite their prominence, people with ACHOO have not garnered the same attention to mobilize these types of groups and observances. Is it a lack of pride in oneself or simply a lack of action? Both, actually. Unfortunately, Sneezers did not get the nod for the “S” in the full acronym, LBGTQIA2S+. This disastrous omission from the modern natural selection process has resulted in Sneezers not being able to claim any pride. And no significant gathering of Sneezers has occurred; albeit thankfully so, because that would be a pressurized time bomb waiting to blow. Nevertheless, with emerging technology more commonplace like Zoom and dark mode on your devices, there is no better time now than ever to come together virtually and safely. It has to start small somewhere, and the best place to begin is with hypoallergenic grassroots movements like this.

In spite of the dangers and absence of solidarity for people with Photic Sneeze Reflex, there is still hope. To reiterate, this petition exists to start a dialogue for those suffering. You are not alone. There are many more others out there. To every person: the U.S. president who’s in charge of national holidays, the CEOs of Kleenex and Ray Bans who can get tax write-offs for donating to fight this ailment, or the common man or woman reading this right now, you can create change. Please consider using more than just a tissue to combat this serious issue. Thank you and bless you.