Eye Twitch
My left eye started twitching yesterday morning, and has continued almost unabated for about 30 hours. Of course I finally Googled “eye twitch”, and I was stunned to learn that eye twitches “usually stop within a week“. I was hoping for a matter of hours!
Update (April 8th): I originally posted this 9 days ago, and the twitch hasn’t gone away. I’m getting sort of used to it now though; like an old friend. I guess it’s time to ’see somebody’ about it. *sigh*
Update (April 23rd): Okay, now it’s really starting to get annoying. This eye twitch still hasn’t gone away! Before you ask, no, I haven’t gone to the doctor about it… I would feel so lame telling a doctor that my eye is twitching – that’s my problem. I’ll give it one more week.
September 5th, 2007 at
Hi Folks,
I too am afflicted with the dreaded eye twitch. I am on the computer all the time. However, I think it may be more relaxed to stress and fatigue. It’s been about 6 months, started mildly and has increased recently. Had an eye checkup back when it began and no probs noticed. It seems to be the eyelid, just above the eye and below the eyebrow. My husband saw it spasm, but it’s hard to see for yourself, if you know what I mean. It’s also the left eye. I wonder if right-handed people have it in their left eye and visa versa? Maybe it’s the eye they predominantly use? Just a thought. Anyways, I am going to try some of the advice here and also some I’m not sure are listed. I have heard that eye twitch can be related to neck problems, so I am going to try chiropractor and/or acupuncture to see if it helps (since we are covered). It’s also relaxing. Not to mention that I am going to regularly schedule massages. I don’t get enough sleep, my cats keep waking me up early. I have general fatigue. Might even be undiagnosed Chronic fatigue or something as it has been ongoing. A lot of these problems occurred after my mom died. I’m easily stressed with my husband being a major stressor. No money for vacation either. Oh and my eye problem seems to act up when I’m in bed a lot. For awhile, I couldn’t sleep on the left side as it seemed to get worse. I have found that if I lay a certain way I can do it now. It was feeling gritty too, but seems better after a few rounds of Baciguent opthalmic ointment (antibiotic). I think it just got infected with all my rubbing and such. I will try to update you later on.
September 6th, 2007 at
Stop squinting, innit!? Or stop doing the things that make you squint? Naughty twitchers!
Obviously some people have problems that make their nerves tired – vdu work, sleeplessness, squinting down their nose at people and saying ‘No Sir, I can’t help you’, but basically – you’re just a bunch of squinters! (I’m a recovering one)
Stop squinting. It doesn’t cost you a penny and you don’t have to read any more crap from anyone, or pop any more expensive rubbish in your mouth that isn’t real food.
And what’s more – Jason gets his site back. If I were him, I’d be squinting.
September 8th, 2007 at
I have had the same annoying left eye twitch for about two months now. I did go to the doctor, and was told it was stress because I have also been expeirencing hair loss. I have also had intermittent muscle twitches in my arms and legs, which the doc said is also stress and lack of sleep. I think that the caffiene and dehydration can be causes also as I drink lots of coffee, and not enough of water.
I am glad to hear that I am not alone with the twitching. It is driving me crazy!
September 11th, 2007 at
Wow, I looked this up on behalf of my son…. I’m amazed at the response to all the blogs, but never the less to cross out another theory STRESS??? , computer, NO!, ….maybe not so, my son is only 8 yrs old his eye has been twitching for almost 2 months, he’s tired of it, we try praying over his little eye, the saddest thing a mother can see is when my son smiles his right little eye closes and it even looks like he has suffered of a partial face paralisys is soooo sad, I could be wrong, and maybe he is stress, (I need to stop creeming and yelling around the house)
this is so sad =0( ….the only one thing so far all of you have mentioned is the sleep part…he has mentioned that he doesn’t sleep at night, so I will have to look into that … I will try everything else I have read here and and will f/u with you all. to all you Good luck
September 12th, 2007 at
Try this. It just worked for me. I was reading through all of the posts here and decided that maybe I should rub my neck a little. To my suprise, the twitch that I have had under my right eye for 4 weeks started to slow down and then stop all together.
I rubbed the back of my neck from the bottom of the skull to the top of the shoulders. Give it a try. I don’t know if it was responsible for it stopping (I also drank two glasses of water right before), but it can’t hurt.
September 19th, 2007 at
I’m just 16, and have been getting these annoying twicthes. I know this sounds sad, but i’m worried it’s something serious as i’ve had head pains aswell. Apparently it’s because i’m fixated with it. I don’t agree with this.
September 19th, 2007 at
that’s why it will never wor. Hale Mauricio.
September 25th, 2007 at
But hey, I’m not a doctor but it seems to me that the folks who are experiencing some kind of sensation of pressure along with the twitching really oughta get it looked at, maybe even an MRI or something – might be just a swollen sinus, could be something less benign pushing up against a nerve…
September 27th, 2007 at
I did a search a few weeks back after having a annoying twitch in my left eye. I was glad to find this place as so many people suffer from the same thing. My eye twitched for almost 3 weeks and it really did annoy me and i was very worried, everytime i sneezed my eye twitched, as soon as i thought it had gone it began, my mum and family thought i was stupid worrying but it was really horrible. Anyhow it has now gone thankfully. Maybe it was stress or just a trapped nerve but i dont want it back.
September 30th, 2007 at
Hi, I have a twitch just below my left eye that started on Friday night. The weird thing is I can’t feel it; I can only see it! It freaks me out that I can’t feel it. Has anyone experienced this? I plan to go to my eye doctor this week. BTW, I do software support and stare at a computer all day and am under tremendous stress at my job due to my company recently being acquired by a European company. There have been layoffs, lots of changes and general unhappiness
October 5th, 2007 at
Hey everyone, I know this post started a couple years ago, but I am having the same problem. I asked my uncle who is an opthalmoligical surgeon about it. Turns it out it’s called Myokinesis and it’s stress induces. He said most people get it at some point in their life and it can last anywhere from a few hours to a few months. He told me that it can be stopped with a simple botox injection to the muscle, but the condition has to persist for at least 6 months before he would consider doing that. However, if you are very desperate, I’m sure you could find someone to give you a shot of botox to cure yourself.
October 18th, 2007 at
I really did not think I would find so many people with the same problem I have been having lately. This is too weird!
For me, it began about 3 weeks ago. My left, eyelid began to twitch for a few seconds, after I would sneeze or yawn.
My lifestyle had not changed before that .
I was drinking the same amount of coffee each day, (which is not alot). About 2-3 cups, and it’s not strong coffee. My daughter cals it “tea”.)
I drank the same amount of water everyday that I have been drinking for some time. My sleep habits were the same.
The only thing that was of any significance to me, was that I had to go to the doctor for a bad cold I had, that wouldn’t go away after 9 days.
I also inquired about the fact that I thought I may have allergies. I just moved to Utah from Washington state a few years ago, and it seems the air quality here is affecting me in odd ways.
Anyway, the only thing I had done differently right before this twitching problem began, was that I had a blood test and I was also given antibiotics for my cold. One pill a day for 3 days. It was soon after taking the pills, when the twitching started. That is all I had happen differently within my normal daily routine.
As I said, the twitching only happens when I sneeze or yawn, and it is annoying when it happens. But unless it happens more often than this, I don’t think I will be going to the doctor.
I’ll just wait and see what happens.
October 20th, 2007 at
Hello fellow twitchers— Wow so many of us!!! also googled to see what i would find on the subject, i am glad to see so much experience out there. I have had my twitch in my left eye now for 11 days( and counting), i suffer from ocular toxoplasmosis in my left eye too, i am concerned for my eye as it has not had much luck in the last few years, 3 attacks of toxo, and now a eye twitch, my twitch comes and goes, but i am sure it is all stress related, cause to be fair i am stressed about my eye at the moment as i just had an attack of toxo and lost more vision, i am a nutritionist and am quite heathy, i eat my 5(fruit and veg) a day, drink 2 ltr of watera day, take loads of supplements and vits, walk everyday and get my 8 hours of sleep everynight. I have an eye appointment on monday, so i will come back to let you guys know what they say, i hope this goes away as quick as it came on!! Take Care All!!! x x x
October 20th, 2007 at
hi ive had my twitch for the last four days good to know others have the same mad affliction, cant look people in then eye in case they see ive a jumping been under my eyelid, going to try some of the suggestions on this website, thanxs again feeling better already some of the emails are quite funny
October 23rd, 2007 at
Hello Jason,
I also have an eye twitch under my left eye,for about a week now, it is so annoying. Called my neurologist today, to see what he suggest ( already had 2 tia’s) my first when I was 37 and my second 6 months later. Hope it goes away. Never know there were so many people twitching out there.Thanks for any feed back you have. take care
October 24th, 2007 at
Well, I guess this is the never ending post. LOL
I have had the area under my left eye twitching all day and I thought I was about to have a stroke or something.
How any of you stood weeks or years of it ,I do not know.
It is driving me insane after one full day.
It actually feels and LOOKS like a big heartbeat under my eye.
I haven’t done anything different .No new stress, no new caffeine habit. It just started this morning ,out of the blue.
I will try the suggestions you all posted. Good luck every body!
October 25th, 2007 at
Rightyo, I am back and happy to say the wicked twitch is dead!!! lol !! Seriously though, i went to eye doc on monday for my checkup and told the doc about the twitch and like we already know he told me mine was stress related, funny thing was after i left his office the twitch suddenly stopped, or it never came back i should say. Now i hope it stays this way, and i hope all you twitchers find releif soon!! Take Care and may i never return!!! Melissa xxxxxx
November 2nd, 2007 at
[ Some Solution Found... read on]
I have had the same problem 3 years ago which lasted about 6 months. It went away after I had some anal surgery. I thought some energy meridian connection was there between anus(huin) and eye twitching, until recently…
Now the twitching came back 3 months ago. (didn’t have any more anal problem, and did confirmed with colonoscopy).
After reading about 50% of the responses, there is only one thing I didn’t try(I believe I did try everything mentioned here).
The TONIC water with Quinine. I was cheap and I bought 2 large 1.8l bottles right away. After drinking one bottle in the first day, the symptom is almost gone (80%). I’m taking only one cup (about 8oz) a day and can still maintain that level. When I said 80% gone, I meant I don’t have constant twitching or strange feeling on my face. The effect is immediate, you can see the result in an hour, if you drink about 18oz of Tonic water.
I still have 3-4 twitches a day, but that’s a heaven compared with constant twitching.
Though it is not complete, I think it is under manageable situation, and happy with drinking Tonic water for the next several years until it is completely gone.
This site is very helpful. May be some of us found the cure for it while most of the Doctors didn’t.
PLEASE try Tonic Water, and share the result. Let’s help each other. It may be the solution.
November 6th, 2007 at
I am going insane!!!!!! My CONSTANT left eye twitch (and occasional face twitching) started a little over a week ago. Unfortunately, I also got the flu at the same time and was ill for a few days. I didn’t know if the twitch was related or not.
I actually went to the ER because of a bunch of head/neck pressure and I was thinking maybe a tumor was causing the twitching. Everything came back normal. Doctor basically said there’s nothing they can do unless I want to try some ‘minor’ procedures which including cutting my eye muscles!!! NOT so minor to me! He said it isn’t even a guarantee to fix the problem…no thanks!
I am in search of some natural remedies such as the ones in this post. I sure hope that it helps and SOON!
Thanks for all the support. I really feel like a freak and am glad to know I am not the only person who suffers and/or suffered from it. Every one at work acts like they have never seen a twitch before!
November 8th, 2007 at
Hello webmaster…I Googled for jillian barberie pictures, but found your page about – Jason Clarke | Eye Twitch…and have to say thanks. nice read.
November 9th, 2007 at
[ Sorry, Tonic Water does not work any more ]
For a few days, it was very effective, but after a week, it is not effective anymore. Sigh…
November 10th, 2007 at
My twitch stems from cronic marijuana and consumption. This coupled with a lack of sleep, a bit of stress, dehydration and all around slackness have caused me to twitch for days now.
November 26th, 2007 at
man my right eyelid has been twitching for a few days now i’m going crazy. i’m only 17 and i don’t really think its stress or dehydration. although it is causing alot of stress. also i’ve been having mild head pain around my forehead and i’ve been seeing “floaters”. please someone help! … oh and it’s not related to smoking insane amounts of pot is it??
November 26th, 2007 at
I’ve been twitching for about two weeks now, especially after I sneeze or blow my nose. I’ve tried both water and banana’s, though not together.
I had a bout of “Bell’s Palsy” (just great fun) about 3 years ago and still get the shooting pains occasionally on my right side but the twitching is in my left upper eyelid. I did have a very bad cold about 2.5 or 3 weeks ago, am under tremendous job and pre-teen girl pressure (another joy, not sure if she’ll make it ’til 13 or if I will make it ’til she’s 13). I googled this forum and thank goodness I’m not some twitchy freak all on my lonesome. I just hope nobody thinks I’m winking at them…
November 27th, 2007 at
The area under my right eye has been non-stop twitching, or spasming I should say, for almost a week now. It looks like a vein pulsalting under my eye and people actually notice it when talking to me. It is scaring me but reading here has calmed me down a bit. I get good sleep (usually 8 hours a night), I don’t think I’ve been any more stressed than I usually am, I drink water all day at work (although while staring at a computer screen) so I don’t know what’s up. I have a doctor’s appointment in 2 days, I’ll be sure to check back share his diagnosis.
November 29th, 2007 at
I am losing my mind! I have had this constant upper eye-twitch since August and it is now almost December! It gets so bad sometimes that I feel like the whole left side of my face is jumping. I have MS~ diagnosed October 2000. Does anyone know if this could be related? I am a vegetarian, drink water, take vitamins, blah, blah, blah…still the twitch is here… I know that in the beginning, the disease affected my optical nerve, I’m sure it still does, it doesn’t go away. I finally get to see my neurologist tomorrow, but i don’t think he will be able to tell me anything. The only thing he said when I called in September was to track my symptoms. (A lot of good that did! It just happens all of the time!) This has been the first time I’ve been able to find anyone experiencing the same symptoms…thanks Jason! Nice to know I’m not as crazy as a I thought!
December 21st, 2007 at
Kristina, I had the same problem as you starting in July–just a constant visible pulsating just below the “bag” of my right eye. It went 24-7 until October when for about a week, it stopped completely overnight and didn’t return until the next evening. Then it came back non-stop for a couple of weeks, but now it’s back to just a couple of hours only each evening. I can handle that. I thought that might be some consolation. I went to the neurologist and he couldn’t find anything really wrong. Said it could be one of two things–hemifacial spasm due to an artery pressing on the facial nerve, in which case it would eventually spread to other muscles all down the right side. The other was benign fasciculation, which means that a group of muscle fibres just decide to fire off for no apparent reason. I’m hoping it’s the latter, although it can last anywhere from days to months to years!
December 30th, 2007 at
Well gang, I’ve also had a twitch for a couple of weeks now. Glad I googled it and found your forum. I’m a bit relieved because I believe it started when my girlfriend of 7 years decided that our relationship was over. Splitting up the household has been nothing but stressful. So, I guess we can call this one the Seven Year Twitch! Thanks again, and good luck.
January 2nd, 2008 at
I am seriously ready to amputate my left eyebrow. I am a big water drinker but haven’t been drinking my normal amounts over the holidays. Hopefully that is the problem and I can kick this twitch. This post is hilarious though, I feel all your pains.
January 6th, 2008 at
Hi everyone,
Well I googled eye twitch and came right to this! I have had an eye twitch for about 4 days it was a few days before Christnmas and then stopped and now it is back, and hasnt stopped for four days. It is driving me crazy!!!! I also have floaters but I am use to those buggers now, I cant imagine getting use to the twitch though. I cant stand it. I am hoping that it goes away. I think that I have a sinus thing going on, does anyone know if that is related to the twtich?
January 7th, 2008 at
Lots of interesting comments and things to try. I am going to try the magnesium. My twitch has been off and on for months. Under my left eye. It is not always constant. When I mentioned it to one doctor, she said it was lack of sleep. I do have interrupted sleep, but manage to get in enough hours. Perhaps another doctor’s opinion?
January 7th, 2008 at
have had eye twitches from time to time over the years but this one has lasted 6 days in the left upper lid. Does anything think it could be from an eyelid irratation (underneath eyelid) and dry eyes as well? They eyelid that is twitching feels dry and irratated underneath too.
January 13th, 2008 at
my lower lid of my left eye has been twitching for the past nine months. my doctor advised me to take a computer break every hour at work and get at least 7 to 8 hours of sleep nightly. the twitching slowed down. however, it has not stopped. i am researching this condition because this appears to be unusual for such a large number of us to stricken with this twitching of the eye lid syndrome. Why?
January 21st, 2008 at
Hey this is great. I thought I was going crazy. I have had an eye twitch for 8 weeks today and I just want it to stop. I am going to try the suggestions on this site and hope for the best.
I wish all my fellow twitchers the same……
January 22nd, 2008 at
I’ve posted a couple times about my twitch. It finally quit. It twitched for nearly 11 months. A combo of high blood pressure meds and magnesium settled the thing down. For awhile it was both eyes, the right underneath lid and the left upper lid, I was going to go NUTS. IT was constant. I have been twitch free now for about 2 months and it’s GREAT!!!! I make the suggestion of magnesium tho, and if you get it with a calcium/magnesium combination it works even better for some reason. GOOD LUCK TO all and I hope and pray mine doesn’t come back like it did.
January 24th, 2008 at
Jan 2008
Great to know I am not alone. After two years of facial and eye closing/twitchin, I finally sent to a brain doctor, they did a scan where nothing was found. I tend to hate bright lights, theatres, driving at night with lights make my face screw up etc. At last my neurologist has decided to give me botox on the side of my eyes and nose muscles. This will render the offending muscles weakened and so not able to contribute to the twitching. Mine is called neurofacial distonia. My mother has one called bletharospasm where the eyes clamp shut most of the time, this is bletharo, she also has to have botox, which completely works for her and can not lead a normal life with injections every three to six months. Look up dystonia, it will help to self diagnose. If you go through your GP he can refer you on NHS. otherwise you have to pay. My botox is in a few weeks, you get so that you will try anything. In the meantime I have been given some parkingsons disease pills which do help stop the twitching but not all the time. I try to avoid the triggers – computers, too much tv, bright lights, stopped driving at night, talking on telephone.. strange is it not? Hope this has helped.
January 24th, 2008 at
Jan 2008
Great to know I am not alone. After two years of facial and eye closing/twitchin, I finally sent to a brain doctor, they did a scan where nothing was found. I tend to hate bright lights, theatres, driving at night with lights make my face screw up etc. At last my neurologist has decided to give me botox on the side of my eyes and nose muscles. This will render the offending muscles weakened and so not able to contribute to the twitching. Mine is called neurofacial distonia. My mother has one called bletharospasm where the eyes clamp shut most of the time, this is bletharo, she also has to have botox, which completely works for her and can not lead a normal life with injections every three to six months. Look up dystonia, it will help to self diagnose. If you go through your GP he can refer you on NHS. otherwise you have to pay. My botox is in a few weeks, you get so that you will try anything. In the meantime I have been given some parkingsons disease pills which do help stop the twitching but not all the time. I try to avoid the triggers – computers, too much tv, bright lights, stopped driving at night, talking on telephone.. strange is it not? Hope this has helped. Keep smiling.
January 24th, 2008 at
Jan 2008
Great to know I am not alone. Wendy wrote on dec 21st re hemifacial spasm. After two years of facial and eye closing/twitchin, I finally sent to a brain doctor, they did a scan where nothing was found. I tend to hate bright lights, theatres, driving at night with lights make my face screw up etc. At last my neurologist has decided to give me botox on the side of my eyes and nose muscles. This will render the offending muscles weakened and so not able to contribute to the twitching. Mine is called neurofacial distonia. My mother has one called bletharospasm where the eyes clamp shut most of the time, this is bletharo, she also has to have botox, which completely works for her and can not lead a normal life with injections every three to six months. Look up dystonia, it will help to self diagnose. If you go through your GP he can refer you on NHS. otherwise you have to pay. My botox is in a few weeks, you get so that you will try anything. In the meantime I have been given some parkingsons disease pills which do help stop the twitching but not all the time. I try to avoid the triggers – computers, too much tv, bright lights, stopped driving at night, talking on telephone.. strange is it not? Hope this has helped. Keep smiling.
January 29th, 2008 at
this is hilarious. it’s like a support group. i googled the problem and got here. i cant believe people have been posting about it since 2005!! Ive been getting it since middle school. I guess ill go to bed early, eat some bananas, drink some water and hope this ends soon! ugh.
January 30th, 2008 at
Yes, this is funny! I am glad for this support group. =)
Where does everyone live? Maybe it’s something in the air. I live in the Phoenix area.
My right eyelid started twitching around the middle of October 2007 when I had some extra stress/ longer hours at work. It was non-stop – at least while my eyes were open – for a whole month. I had an appointment with my doctor and I was going to mention it, but it stopped twitching for 3 days before that so I thought maybe it’s finally gone! But it came back a few days after my doctor’s appointment. Now it comes and goes like an unwanted relative. =)
Lately it seems to only twitch when I take some bee pollen as a dietary supplement. When I don’t take the bee pollen it doesn’t twitch. I haven’t verified this scientifically yet. =)
February 4th, 2008 at
Hey all. Are there any more twitchers out here??? I googled this site because I was so afraid! I went to the doctor as mine has been going on for two weeks now. He checked me and said that my eyes looked fine, but they are going to run some precautionary field tests to make sure things are good as my pressure was a little high. I am sooo afraid, but I’d rather be checked to be safe. I hope someone shares more experiences soon. Thanks for this blog.
February 7th, 2008 at
To Becky and everyone else out there-I am in Nashville so I guess it is not a environmental/location thing. : ) I have a twitch that is sporadic.It is located between my right eye and nose.Based on some research on this site,there are numerous possible reasons for this kind of twitch.Among the possibilities are:stress,dehydration,caffeine,staring at a computer screen,lack of electrolytes,fatigue,lack of Vitamin B-12,pinched nerve,even a brain tumor(as remote it may be).Ultrasound treatment may help,depending on where a spasm could be located,but I am not sure as far as a twitch by the eye would go.If anyone has this problem and it keeps up for over a week,I would consult a doctor.Don’t take a chance of having it escalate.I think this website is very good and beneficial.I wish everybody the best that has a similar kind of twitch and hope they get relief sooner than later.Feel free to respond to me if you’d like.Take care.
February 8th, 2008 at
UPDATE:
OK, newcomer Eddy and all others:
After two doctors, both eye and regular PCP, I was told that this is a common problem. Congestion is a huge factor. While I did get the bananas and all, tried them a few days, mine slowed down considerably. I am not sure if the ingredients were a factor or not, but I’ll say that they were. My eye doctor recommended NAPHCON eye drops. They are a little pricey, but I am going to get some to see if my issue subsides altogether. I’ll let you know.
February 8th, 2008 at
To Jackie and other eye-twitchers out there-I had a bad persistent twitch by my knee a couple of years ago,and I was told to eat 2-3 bananas a day and see if I would notice a difference.Suppossedly ,I had a potassium deficiency.Sure enough,the twitching(I only had 1 banana per day) went down significantly.I am currently eating one banana a day.I do not have the knee twitch anymore,but my eye still twitches.I may have to increase the banana intake to 2-3 per day as Jackie wrote.Jackie-thank you for the info.I may talk to the doctor about the eye drops you were describing.I hope everybody out there is, at the very least getting some help to at least alleviate the symptoms even if some people do not have the funds to take care of the problem itself.Ben-Gay or Theragesic sometimes helps a twitch or spasm on other parts of the body,but I would not recommend putting it on sensitive areas such as the eyelid or near it because of the vapors,obviously.I’ll probably be posting again,but until next time,I will pray for everyone to get better soon.Take care.
February 16th, 2008 at
Hi to everyone suffering with those annoying twitches. I had a twitch in my left lower eyelid for 5 months. The twitching also sometimes could be felt in my face. The whole thing got very annoying and then very depressing. It seemed mad that something so small could affect my life in such a big way. Anyway, tried everything, and went to the Doctor who really didn’t seem that interested, although did refer me to a neurologist after some persuasion. Found this forum helped me so much throughout those months. Just wanted to let you know that having taken magnesium tablets for the last week or so, I now (fingers crossed) seem to be twitch free. I an sure it was the answer for me and I urge anyone with this condition to give it a go. I feel as though I have my life back!!!!
February 16th, 2008 at
yeah, i got one of these, if i press down beneath my eye i can feel the pulsating of the blood vessel making my eye twitch. i am pretty sure it has something to do with hydration or something, it pisses me off, so annoying!! go away twitch.
February 16th, 2008 at
I have a right eye twitch for about 3 months now. I drink plenty of water. Could be stress though. My son has epilepsy. Glad I am not the only one.
February 16th, 2008 at
Found this answer from website:
http://vision.about.com/od/sportsvision/f/eye_twitching.htm
Question: What Causes My Eye to Twitch?
Eye twitching, or myokymia, is an involuntary eyelid muscle contraction that usually affects the lower eyelid. The exact cause of an eyelid twitch is unknown. A twitch sometimes develops during times of increased stress. Twitching has also been associated with high caffeine intake, fatigue or excessive squinting. It can also occur after reading or working on a computer for prolonged periods of time.
An eyelid twitch is usually a sign that you need to take a break and relax. Sometimes a twitch will go away following a good night’s sleep, but a stubborn twitch may last as long as three weeks.
If the twitching involves both eyes, there is a possibility that you have blephorospasm. This is a chronic condition that is more common in women over 50. Blephorospasm can progress into repeated forceful closing of the eyes. Again, there is no definite cause, but it may be worsened by stress, bright lights, watching too much TV, and fatigue.
To relieve an eye twitch, try applying warm compresses to the twitching eye and gently massaging the eyelid with your fingers. For eyelid twitches that last longer than 2 or 3 days, over-the-counter oral or topical (eye drop) antihistamines may offer some relief. Although not a direct treatment, antihistamines slow down the muscle contractions, or twitching, making it less annoying.
A more violent twitching that involves an entire side of the face is called hemifacial spasm. A hemifacial spasm can be a much more severe twitch. It may actually affect speaking and eating. A hemifacial spasm is usually caused by inflamed facial nerves but it may result from a more serious neurological problem. This type of spasm is often treated with muscle-relaxing injections or medications. If you are concerned that you may have more than a common eyelid twitch, contact an eyecare professional for an evaluation.
February 18th, 2008 at
Hi again, everyone.
I’m happy to report that I have been twitch-free for about a month. I, too, tried bananas, which did nothing. However, I believe the magnesium really helped. Word of warning–don’t expect it to work overnight though or you will get frustrated and stop before it has a chance to do its thing. I took it for several weeks before the twitch became less frequent. Just to recap, my twitch (under right eye) pulsated away visibly and irritatingly 24/7 for four months …. yes, non-stop even at night. Then it would just go all day but stop at night …. then stopped almost completely, returning for a couple of hours each evening until it finally stopped altogether. Whoopee !!! I am continuing with the magnesium, however, as a precautionary measure. I empathize with you all. May your lives soon be twitch-free!
February 21st, 2008 at
Shannon – know it’s ages since you postet this, but I’m having the exact same problem! My left eye is twitching, and squinting it hard seems to really set it off when I relax again! It’s totally annoying… Some comfort in knowing more of us are having this