By Dr. Liji Thomas, MD Reviewed by Lauren Hardaker Mar 6 2026 As spring pollen fills the air, it may be doing more than triggering sneezes. New research suggests it could also be quietly lowering students’ performance in high-stakes exams that shape their academic futures.  Study: Pollen exposure and matriculation exam performance among students in Finland . Image credit: Alexander_Safonov/Shutterstock.com Pollen allergy is one cause of seasonal allergy, with hundreds of millions of cases