Subject: Why do people close their eyes when they sneeze?

Humans and many other animals close their eyes when they sneeze, and their 
heads tilt forword abraplly. From personal experiance, I can testify that 
these responses cannot be avoided. I read some answers posted on your site, 
but there was no answer to the thing I'm most curious about: has the reflex of 
closing the eyes and tilting the head, developed for a reason? (protection of 
the eyes, for example), or is it just a by product of the stimulation to 
nearby nurve bundles?
I also wonder: are there any mammals, or other animals, that don't have the 
sneezing reflex (I find it hard to imagine an elefant or a giraf sneeze, but I 
could be wrong...)
Thanks for listening
T.

Re: Why do people close their eyes when they sneeze?