When To Worry About Eye Twitching? Causes & Treatment

In my opinion, there’s nothing worse than a problem in the eye while doing some important work. Eye twitching is one of them and today, we are going to cover everything about when to worry about eye twitching?

Nothing else concerned me more than this repetitive and involuntary spasm of the eyelid muscle every few seconds. It’s unpredictable and could last for a minute or may be longer. Yes, eye twitching does not hurt but is harmful for sure, if persists for longer time.

The muscle that begins to spasm is usually the orbicularis oculi, the delicate muscle fibers responsible for opening and closing the eyelid.

When should I be worried about eye twitching?

The common types of eyelid twitching are eyelid twitch, essential blepharospasm, and hemifacial spasm. Read more to get complete information. Read more to know about when to worry about eye twitching?

1. Blepharospasm: If both the eyes are twitching and starts increasing blinking frequently. And, eventually it leads to the closing of eyelids and maybe even squeezing of the muscles near eyes.  In rare cases, the muscles of the face and neck area are also involved. This case of eye twitching is something you should worry about.
2. Hemifacial spasm: It includes involuntary closure of the eye with muscles in the cheek, lips and neck, usually on one side only. Nose twitching can also occurs.
3. Eyelid twitch: There are so many superstitions about eye twitching but medical reasons are also important though. It includes a minor spasm of the lower or upper eyelid or maybe both the eyelids. Mostly it resolves in a few days on its own. Stress and excess caffeine are the most responsible factors for this.

Eye Twitching Causes

1. In case of minor eyelid twitching, the reason could be excess caffeine or lack of sleep. Other reasons could be eye irritation or irritated eyes that need glasses.
2. For hemifacial spasm, it could be because of abnormality in the facial muscles nerve. It is often caused when a blood vessel touches your facial nerve because of no reason at all or a facial nerve injury.
3. A less common cause of eye twitching is hyperthyroidism. If you have a thyroid issue, consult your doctor immediately.
4. Caffeine is probably the most common reason for eye twitching and we have the answer for When To Worry About Eye Twitching if it’s because of stress or caffeine.
5. We all use so many screens now and it is a major cause of eye twitching. Either its reading online or playing games, it does cause stress and fatigues our eye muscles. Reading in dim light is stressful and should be stopped as soon as possible.

Risk Factors for Eye Twitching

One of the main risk factors is when you start feeling weakness or drooping or double vision. Or, when you feel you have something in your eye. Light sensitivity also needs attention in case of eye twitching for days. Your vision is changing and they start looking red. In extreme cases, eyelid twitching can lead to blepharospasm or even brain disorder.

• Benign Essential Blepherospasm (a benign but chronic eyelid twitching disorder)
• Tourette’s Syndrome
• Multiple Sclerosis
• Oculomotor Nerve Palsy (a problem with the oculomotor nerve)
• Parkinson’s Disease

In some cases, they can be an early sign of a chronic movement disorder, especially if you have facial twitches or uncontrollable movements again and again. 

How can I get my eye to stop twitching? ( Eye Twitching Treatment )

1. Botulinum toxin (Botox®) injections can be successfully used to regulate neurotransmission and stop the facial spasm. Medications, including anticonvulsant drugs can also help.
2. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) uses powerful magnets and radio waves to create detailed images of your head and determine the cause of your hemifacial spasm.
3. If you are a blogger or have a habit of reading online, then eye twitching is pretty much common. 2 minutes of break and warmth if your own hands can relieve a lot and much faster than other remedies for eye twitching. It’s the least you can do for your eye twitching.
4. Artificial tears can help in cleaning your eyes and can be helpful in extreme cases of prolonged twitching.
5. Moderate caffeine drinking of about 200 to 300 milligrams or two to four cups of coffee is mostly considered safe. Most of the time, myokymia will stop by itself, but if you are having so much coffee try to cut it down or spread throughout the day. Also, stop having alcohol because any type of discomfort can also trigger it.

Types of Eyelid Twitching

There are 3 types of eye twitching i.e., Minor eyelid twitching, Benign essential blepharospasm and hemifacial spasm.

The most minor type of eyelid twitching is what we used to feel and is associated with various lifestyle factors like Stress or use of alcohol & excess caffeine. If you have irritation on the surface of eye (cornea) or conjunctiva then the twitching may occur. Eyelid twitching is also known as myokymia and mostly affects the lower eyelid. The treatment depends on its severity and frequency.

A minor eyelid twitch occurs for about 2 to 3 days and then disappears on their own. If it’s severe, it may last much longer and does not go away and becomes so much annoying if interferes with daily life. Others may experience a spasm strong enough to force both eyelids to close completely.

Blepharospasm is any abnormal contraction or twitch of the eyelid and is more frequent than myokymia. If it happens for a longer time, blindness can even occur in extreme cases. The eyelids feel like shutting down and not opening. Sensitivity to the sun and bright light is common.

It is of two types: essential and reflex blepharospasm. Blepharospasm or eye twitching for days can be because of environmental and genetic factors. An exam might be conducted for imaging tests of your brain and eyes. These could include X-ray, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), or computed tomography (CT) scans. Myectomy can be useful in many cases but the good thing is it’s a very rare case.

Last case is hemifacial spasm and that is also very rare. In this, it involves both the muscles around your mouth and your eyelid. Mostly, it affects one side of the face only. Most often, the cause is an artery pressing on a facial nerve.

When to Worry about Eye Twitching?

Yes, eye twitching does not always harm but if it’s getting on your nerves and causing trouble then you should consult your doctor soon. Just for an example, if your eyes are getting red or feeling fatigue, take a break but if it’s persistent, tell your doctor. That crusty buildup around the eyes is not acceptable; if having too much.

Eye twitches are associated with signs of damaged nerve fibers but only in very rare cases. Before visiting your doctor, look at the frequency and duration of eye twitching for days. Keep a diary of the symptoms and pay attention to the potential triggers.

On a serious note, keep in mind that if twitches occur in other body parts like palms and eyebrows and cause pain or blurred vision then it’s not common. Visiting your doctor is highly recommended. 

Don’t just freak out!

With all my research done and the information collected till now, I have some tips for you that helped me so much. Firstly, take a break after 20-25 minutes of online reading. Rub your hands and keep them on the eyes for instant warmth. Go for a walk if it’s possible and drink less coffee. 8 hours sleep is really important, have yours.

Making minor changes to the diet can reduce the risk. Add more magnesium to your food and daily intake. Go out and spend some time with the pets and nature. Spare some time for yourself. Make a consistent schedule for everything. Computer eyeglasses are really important to take care of your eyes and relieve the digital eye strain.

Hope you got your answer about when to worry about eye twitching? If yes, then tell us in the comment section about your story and experience.