Everything You Should Know about Eye Twitching

Eye irritation, strain, lack of sleep, dry eyes, or excessive caffeine can all cause eye twitching on myokymia, the medical acronym for the condition. Severe eyelid spasms lasting for long may indicate other conditions. However, if you experience eyelid twitching, you must seek help from family eye care to ensure you do not have other conditions affecting your eyes.

An eyelid twitch is a repetitive, involuntary spasm of your eyelid muscles in the upper lid. However, it can also happen in the lower lid.

Many people experience mild spasms feeling like a gentle tug in the eyelid. Others have intense spasms forcing both eyelids to close completely. These spasms can occur every few seconds for one or two minutes.

It is challenging to predict episodes of eyelid twitching. You may experience the twitching intermittently for several days and may not confront the problem for weeks or months thereafter.

Eyelid twitching is harmless and painless, but they are concerning. Most spasms resolve by themselves without needing treatment. However, in rare cases, eyelid spasms can indicate warning signs of a chronic movement disorder if facial twitches or uncontrollable movements accompany the spasms.

Kinds of Eyelid Twitching

Eyelid twitching is categorized into three different types. They are general eyelid spasms, essential blepharospasm, and hemifacial spasm.

• General Eyelid Spasm: Some kinds of eyelid spasms are typical and don’t indicate severe problems. The twitching can arise from environmental factors and will disappear with rest. However, if the twitching is persistent and disrupts your life, you may want to discuss them with the nearby eye doctors explaining your symptoms.
• Benign Essential Blepharospasm: If the spasms become chronic, you may have benign essential blepharospasm, a chronic and uncontrollable winking, and blinking. You may experience the spasm in both your eyes, and the condition worsens with time, eventually causing blurry vision, light sensitivity, and facial twitches, making it essential to see the ophthalmologist on Cass Street to seek a remedy for the problem.
• Hemifacial Spasm: If you have severe eyelid twitching in one eye, it is a hemifacial spasm in neuromuscular disorder caused by a blood vessel exerting extra pressure on one of your facial nerves. The problem is more typical in women than men, and people from Asia are affected more. If left untreated, hemifacial spasms can cause frequent and uncontrolled eye twitching, the inability to open your eyes, and twitching in the muscles on one side of your face.

Causes of Eyelid Twitching

A variety of causes contribute to eyelid twitching. However, if the following symptoms bother you, it helps to discuss them with your eye doctor to determine whether you have an underlying issue that needs treatment.

Eyelid twitching and spasms are caused by and worsened by the following:

• Eyelid irritation, strain, or corneal abrasion.
• Environmental irritants like wind, bright lights, sunlight, or air pollution.
• Lack of sleep or fatigue.
• Stress or physical exertion.
• Dry eyes.
• Side effects of medications.
• Alcohol, Tobacco, or caffeine use.
• Light sensitivity or uveitis or swelling in the middle layer of the eye.
• Conjunctivitis.
• Migraine episodes.
• Blepharitis or eyelid inflammation.
• Eyelid Twitching Complications

Rarely eyelid twitching spasms are symptoms of a severe brain or nerve disorder. When eyelid twitching results from severe conditions, they are accompanied by other symptoms. Brain and nerve disorders causing eyelid twitching include Bell’s palsy, dystonia, cervical dystonia, Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, and Tourette syndrome.

When to Seek Treatment for Eyelid Twitching?

Eyelid twitching is not a severe condition and rarely does require emergency medical treatment. Unfortunately, chronic twitching of the eyes may indicate severe problems with the brain or nervous system.

You must see your eye doctor if you experience chronic twitching of the eyelids with the following symptoms:

• You have red eyes or unusual discharge from the eyes.
• Your upper eyelid is drooping.
• Your eyelid closes entirely with eyelid twitching.
• The twitching remains ongoing for weeks affecting other parts of your face.

Treatment for Eyelid Twitching

Eyelid spasms often disappear without treatment in days or weeks. However, if they don’t, you can try alleviating the spasms by consuming less caffeine, getting adequate sleep, keeping your eyelid surfaces lubricated with OTC artificial tears or eye drops, or applying a warm compress over your eyes whenever a spasm begins.

If you visit your doctor, they will determine an intervention is required by prescribing antibiotics, surgery, and other treatment options depending on the precise reasons for the condition.

Eyelid twitching has many causes, and the treatment or Outlook depends on the patient. If you have twitching eyelids and want to determine the reasons for the condition, Eye MD Monterey — Cass St can provide adequate help to deal with your problem. Please arrange a meeting with them to discuss your situation and receive treatment recommendations for eyelid twitching.