Where My Fellow Photics At?

[Merc_With_A_Mouth_69]

How many of you out there sneeze when you first turn the lights on after you wake up?

Or have to stop and sneeze when you head outside a dimly lit building?

Or sometimes just like staring out the window to trigger a blessed sneeze?

I do. Haha. I love telling people that I'm a vampire, because I'm allergic to the sun. When they give me a weird look, I clarify by saying the it makes me sneeze, and then I usually go out and prove it. I have friends that, whenever we all go outside, will stop, look at me expectantly, and start a short count-down, because they know what's coming. I've also known a couple other photic sneezers over the years, and sometimes we've have little contests like who can sneeze first, or who can sneeze the most or who can hold their sneezes back from coming out for the longest. One of these such friends was an extremely cute girl, and I would always make sure to exit the building at the same time she did whenever we had to go to a different class because we had this thing where she would sneeze first, and while she was building up to her second, I would sneeze, and while I was building up, she would again, until we had both sneezed 3 times, then she would bless me and I would say, "no, bless you more". It was an awesome little in-joke that made us feel really close to each other. Plus, she had an extremely cute, girly, soft, really wet sneeze, and she never covered it. She drove me crazy...

Anyway, anyone else out there have any photic sneeze related stories?

[MoonDuck]

I'm photic-ish. I only sneezed once today. *Looks at sky* "Ow. Now I see a spot when I blink." *Gets into conversation about looking at light* *Looks directly at sun* "Ow. That was so smart." *sneezes*

No stories, really, though

[FreeFluShots]

I don't really have any stories, but can I just say your stories were awesome?

And yeah, the photic thing only rarely works for me, and usually only if I already have to sneeze, sadly.

[darkness-is-the-light]

Yeah, I'm photic. I have mental block too, so it gets kind of annoying when I go outside.

[PuddinPop]

I'm really photic. Even the light from my phone can set me off if I'm in a dark room for long enough.

The only story I can think of is obviously when it starts to get nice outside, every time I go outside I'll sneeze at least once, and each time around spring, my SO will always look at me after I've sneezed and say "Oh god, spring's coming!" but that's about it

May I add that your stories are awesome

[Smokey]

I'm pretty photic, sometimes even looking out the window can trigger a sneeze, but then sometimes it doesn't! Also sometimes if i switch the light on at night after being in complete darkness for an hour or so, then usually i'll sneeze.

[retrofan191]

Im horribly photic, if ilook at the sun I sneeze a double, or sometimes even a triple

[Anonymouse]

Can I just say I love all of you people? Photic sneezers are my fave. <3

Also,Merc, I love your stories/obs, especially the.one of you and that girl sneezing one after th other.

ETA: wow typing on a phone sucks, my bad.

Edited March 26, 2014 by AnonyMouse

[NoV]

Not much makes me sneeze, but every so often walking into bright light will trigger the photic reflex in me. The sneezes are normally pretty powerful, but unlikely to extend to more than 1 or 2

[Merc_With_A_Mouth_69]

Oh, another thing/story/obs/whatever I forgot to mention was that there is this guy at my work who's also a photic sneezer, and whenever we go for a short walk outside after lunch, he's always impressed by my doubles and triples while he usually only has one, because he had always thought it was more common in people with blue eyes like his, but my eyes are brown. I do know it's more common in Caucasians, and apparently just slightly more common in females, but I had never heard anything about eye colour. For those of you who are, any opinion?

[Sawdust]

Photic sneezer reporting here. It is interesting little quirk to me but driving early morning can be hazardous.

[PuddinPop]

I do know it's more common in Caucasians, and apparently just slightly more common in females, but I had never heard anything about eye colour. For those of you who are, any opinion?

Blue eyed Caucasian female here honestly, I have never heard of any correlation before. Very interesting!

[atchoum]

Interesting discussion. Photic sneezes are my favourites too, especially as they are sneezes that the sneezer generally enjoys.

One thing I have found out is that sensitivity to light can change over the years, and I have found that I respond much less often to light than I did before. I remember years ago I used to eat lunch in a canteen which was a pretty dark place, and had a long dark corridor leading out into a west-facing street. I used to usually sneeze in front of the same house every time, and coworkers used to remark on it (though without making the connection with the sun). Now I'm lucky if it happens to me once a month...

Interesting too that the number of sneezes seems to depend on the individual. With me it's always just one sneeze, though ordinary sneezes are quite often multiples. One photic sneezing friend is the opposite - he usually sneezes about three times from light - sometimes more - but other sneezes are one or two.

[Photic]

Should be obvious that I am. Every morning that's it's sunny I have to sneeze a couple times on my way to work. It's also my favorite part of coming out of a dark movie theater with a group of people. You immediately know who the photic sneezers are. There's a lot of photic sneezing at air shows too with everyone looking up.

[Fen]

I'm the type of photic that will sneeze a few times after leaving a darkened area into a well-illuminated one. I love the fact that I can easily free a stuck sneeze just by staring at a light, or the flash on my phone. I have a few friends who are photic as well, and it's always nice coming out of a class in the afternoon and hearing them stifle a sneeze or two when the slowly setting sun hits their nose in just the right way.

[SpookyScarySkeleton]

Uhm I'm kinda photic, not badly though but looking at light or sun can make me sneeze like photic ya know.. Anyhoo. My boyfriend too and that's the only thing<3 (other than foreign irratatants that makes him sneeze) . Uh I don't have really stories of me but I was sitting on the couch with my boyfriend, tracing his nostrils with my finger(he must've found it normal and not that I have a sneeze fetish or anything.. Because he does that to me too.. It's heaven<3 ugh ) and then I said "ugh nothing makes you sneeze" he said "The sun does. Do you know when you go outside and you just ? *he demonstrates sneezing loudly*" and I just nod . I've seen him sneeze twice, I like his sneeze.. They are loud but adorable.

Edited April 7, 2014 by DeathNoteOwner

[HarleyQuinnSFF]

I am not a photic sneezer... However, my husband is (lucky me!!). Every time we are in a store and go outside while the sun is out, he sneezes at least 2 times.

My favorite is when we see a movie during the day and go outside from that dark theater.

He also sneezes from seeing the sun reflecting off cars... Soooo nice!

I wish I was a photic sneezer... That's probably weird I sneeze a lot as is... So that's probably a good thing.