India, Aug. 31 -- When we sneeze, our eyes automatically close. But is there any reason for that? Some people, especially school children, like to believe that closing their eyes stops their eyeballs from falling out of their sockets during a sneeze. Here is what is really going on.

To understand the closing of our eyes while we sneeze, we must first understand what sneezing actually is. According to Healthline, a sneeze is medically referred to as sternutation. It is an involuntary reaction that takes place when small particles like dust or pollen go up the nose and irritate the membrane.

As per the BBC, when an irritant is in contact with the nasal mucosa, it triggers the trigeminal nerve, which sends a signal that ends up in the lowe...