Sneeze Facts

It is very difficult to sneeze with your eyes open due to an involuntary reflex. The eye-closing is controlled by the same cranial nerve that triggers sneezing, creating an automatic protective response, though it's not actually to protect eyes from bacteria.

A sneeze can travel as fast as 100 miles per hour.

Between 18-35% of people sneeze when exposed to bright light, especially sunlight. This is called the photic sneeze reflex, and it's caused by crossed signals between the trigeminal nerve (which controls sneezing) and the optic nerve.