David Huston, Professor of Medicine at Texas A\&M University, has explained whether people can sneeze with their eyes open — and whether doing so can harm the eyes.

According to Dr. Huston, sneezing with your eyes open is indeed possible, despite the widespread belief to the contrary. He emphasizes that closing your eyes while sneezing is simply an involuntary or autonomic reflex — an automatic bodily reaction to a stimulus, controlled by the autonomic nervous system. In other words, it's something your body does without conscious effort, reports the Daily Mail.

The expert claims this reflex can be consciously controlled.

“Sneezing with your eyes open is possible, so the process isn’t hardwired or mandatory,” Huston says.

Sneezing is a mechanism by which the body forcefully expels air through the nose and mouth. This reaction is most often triggered when a virus, allergen, or chemical enters the nostrils.

“Sneezing is our body’s defense mechanism to clear mucus from the nose and to prevent foreign objects and particles from entering the respiratory tract,” explains Meg Sorg, Assistant Professor at Purdue University’s School of Nursing.

Sneezing can also be triggered by more unusual stimuli, Focus reports.

“Chemical compounds like piperine or capsaicin, found in black pepper and chili peppers, can irritate the nerve endings in the nasal mucosa and provoke sneezing,” adds Sorg.

Some people also experience so-called photic sneezing — sneezing triggered by bright light.

Regardless of the cause, many people instinctively close their eyes when sneezing. The exact reason for this reflex is still unclear, but experts suggest it may be a way for the body to protect the eyes from germs.

 “Sneezing helps clear the airways by detecting irritating particles in the nose. Automatically closing the eyes while sneezing might help prevent more irritants from entering the eyes,” says Dr. Huston.

He adds that this reflex can indeed be overcome — and doing so won’t cause any harm.

“The pressure generated during a sneeze is far too low to cause your eyes to bulge or pop out if they’re open. Any pressure buildup tends to occur in blood vessels, not in the eyes or surrounding muscles,” the scientist concludes.