Why do we automatically shut our eyes when we sneeze and why is it impossible to keep them open?
by 
Daydreamer
ANSWERS: 18
-
I am not sure, but I think it's your body's way of protecting your eyes/sight? Have you ever noticed that when someone is using a hammer that your eyes close everytime the hammer makes contact with whatever is being hammered? Again, I think this is a natural reflex to protect one's eyes from possible harm.
-
I think there are two reasons that we do this. First, I think it has a lot to do with how our muscles involuntarily clench up when we sneeze, closing our eyes is just part of that clenching. Second, I think it has to do with protecting our eyes from all the droplets that come out when we sneeze. The reason we sneeze is because there's something inside our nose that our body wants out. The droplets of mucus blown out of our nose could have bad things inside them, and our body doesn't want those droplets blown back into our eyes.
-
It is due to involuntary action which is not in our reach and also there is deep interaction between eyes and nose.
-
Actually, no one really knows. ''It is unclear, but scientists theorize that we close our eyes to protect them. We may be protecting our eyes from microorganisms and particles from our sneezes," said Dr. Bonnie Henderson, director of comprehensive ophthalmology at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary. But it could also be simply because a sneeze is a kind of bodywide reflex in which a lot of muscles contract, not just in the nose and throat but also those in the diaphragm, the abdomen, thighs, back, even sphincters (which is why some people with stress incontinence may urinate slightly when they sneeze).
-
Because if you didn't, your eyes would pop out of your head!!
-
duh! the speed at which u sneeze is too powerful to not protect ur eyes from coming out of the socket!
-
i suppose its the same reason why a birds feet closes when they sit on a tweek. it a natural mucle movement for that specific action(sneezing)
-
All those eyes might "pop out of your head" answers may sound silly to some, but Dr. have stated that this is the reason. In fact, the large volume of air and high pressure forced into your head is so strong that it is the same reason you should never hold your nose &/or mouth closed trying to squelch a sneeze because it could cause damage to other parts....still We dooo, of course, always cover our sneezes, coughs & yes even blelches to stop the airborne particles spewed into everyone's air by that same high pressure! ;)
-
Because if you do then your eyes will pop out at the gravitational force that is somehow pulling your eyes from your eye sockets. And it's humans' natural instinct. I think that's what Calvin's dad would've said. :p
-
When you sneeze, you expel air and germs at an extremely fast rate (70 m/s, thanks Wiki), so your eyes close in order to protect your eyes and tear ducts from the germs. Also, when you sneeze, it creates a very large amount of pressure behind your eyes, so you close them as a reflex. While it IS possible to keep your eyes open when you sneeze, it's pretty unpleasant, and I've heard that it can cause you to rupture blood vessels and whatnot in your eyeballs if you do keep them open (though I'm not sure of the validity of that idea).
-
It's definitely an involuntary impulse that protects your eyes from bacteria that you blow out during a sneeze. More importantly, this impulse keeps your eyes from significant damage from the pressure experienced with a sneeze. It's not a myth that your eyes can pop out of your head during a sneeze if your eyes are not closed. Adolf Hitler used to use this torture tactic by forcing his prisoners' eyes open with toothpicks and then waiving pepper under their noses to force a sneeze, thus making their eyes pop partially out of their sockets.
-
The medical term for a sneeze is the “sternutatory reflex”. Almost all animals sneeze. A sneeze helps clear the nose and sinus regions while injecting oxygen into the cells of the body. A sniff does much the same thing. Nevertheless, a sneeze is a very complicated body action. Technically, a sneeze is produced when an irritant contacts the nasal mucosa, which in turn stimulates the trigeminal nerve, which in turn stimulates the pons and medullai of the brain, which in turn sets off additional nerve reactions, and so on. During a sneeze, tremendous stress is placed on the body. Considerable air pressure is place upon the eyes. This pressure is not enough to pop your eyes out of your head or even make them bulge out, but enough to make your eyes feel uncomfortable from the added pressure.
-
The medical term for a sneeze is the “sternutatory reflex”. Almost all animals sneeze. A sneeze helps clear the nose and sinus regions while injecting oxygen into the cells of the body. A sniff does much the same thing. Nevertheless, a sneeze is a very complicated body action. Technically, a sneeze is produced when an irritant contacts the nasal mucosa, which in turn stimulates the trigeminal nerve, which in turn stimulates the pons and medullai of the brain, which in turn sets off additional nerve reactions, and so on. During a sneeze, tremendous stress is placed on the body. Considerable air pressure is place upon the eyes. This pressure is not enough to pop your eyes out of your head or even make them bulge out, but enough to make your eyes feel uncomfortable from the added pressure. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/01/13/the_odd_body_sneezing_eyes_open/
-
The medical term for a sneeze is the “sternutatory reflex”. Almost all animals sneeze. A sneeze helps clear the nose and sinus regions while injecting oxygen into the cells of the body. A sniff does much the same thing. Nevertheless, a sneeze is a very complicated body action. Technically, a sneeze is produced when an irritant contacts the nasal mucosa, which in turn stimulates the trigeminal nerve, which in turn stimulates the pons and medullai of the brain, which in turn sets off additional nerve reactions, and so on. During a sneeze, tremendous stress is placed on the body. Considerable air pressure is place upon the eyes. This pressure is not enough to pop your eyes out of your head or even make them bulge out, but enough to make your eyes feel uncomfortable from the added pressure. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/01/13/the_odd_body_sneezing_eyes_open/
-
It is impossible. You shut your eyes when sneezing because of a reflex action by the eyes to protect them. If you sneezed with your eyes open, the sheer speed of the sneeze would blow your eyes out of their sockets
-
From what I understand it is a reflex to keep your eyes inside your head. There is a lot of force involved in sneezing :)
-
It's impossible for me -- even if I try hard to keep them open. This reflex is powerful indeed. But some people say they can.
-
Yup.
RELATED QUESTIONS
Copyright 2023, Wired Ivy, LLC