Characteristics of Photic Sneezing Essay

Robert M. Cavin32799BIOL 221Photic Sneeze Bill Watson is a 36-year-old man, who worries about walking outside after a movie ends. This is his first date with this woman and he does not want to scare her off with odd behavior. He knows that people who do not suffer from the same condition do not understand. His hope is that maybe she also has this problem. However, he knows that there is little chance of this because he has never met anyone else who suffers from his problem. So he prepares for the embarrassment that follows his fit of sneezing caused by walking from the dark theater to the bright parking lot. Millions of people around the world suffer from photic sneezing. Although the condition is not uncommon, most people have never heard of it. The effects of photic sneezing can have a much greater impact than just embarrassing the sufferer, the most obvious being the effect on pilots and drivers. The danger of crashing aircraft or causing traffic accidents due to uncontrollable photic sneezing is the basis for debate on grounding pilots and suspending driver's licenses. Studies conducted at universities and medical centers around the world have revealed no conclusive evidence on the exact physiological cause of photic sneezing. The studies have however found evidence of inheritance and gender preference. While many theories have arisen from these studies, the two most widely held are, squinting of the eyes cause lacrimal sacs to secrete tears into the nasal cavity, and the association of the optic nerve fibers and trigeminal nerve nucleus in the midbrain. The study conducted at the School of Optometry, University of Alabama at Birmingham, finds that females represent sixty-seven percent of photic sneezers. Ninety-four percent of those are Caucasian. The study also states that there is no correlation found between the presence of photic sneezing and the presence of a deviated septum and a non-significant association was found with tobacco use. The results...

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