8 Causes Of Eye Twitching and How to Stop it

Eye twitching, eyelid tics and spasms are pretty common. Usually only the bottom lid of one eye is involved, but the top eyelid also can twitch. Most eye twitches come and go, although they can last for weeks or even months.

I once received an e-mail from a patient's wife, who told me her left lower eyelid had been twitching for several weeks, and it was driving her crazy. Could I help?

To find a solution for eye twitching, we needed to determine the underlying cause of this annoying problem. Called myokymia in doctor lingo, these rippling muscle contractions in an eyelid can be triggered by:

Stress Tiredness Eye strain Caffeine

Alcohol Dry eyes Nutritional imbalances Allergies

Almost all sudden-onset eyelid twitching is benign, meaning the condition is not serious or a sign of a medical problem.

However, this kind of eye twitching also can be hard to treat. The only option for making the twitching stop may be to figure out the cause and deal with it.

More serious forms of eyelid twitching are caused by neurological conditions such as blepharospasm or hemifacial spasm. These conditions are much less common and should be diagnosed and treated by an eye doctor.

Why Does My Eye Twitch?

Stress: While we're all under stress at times, our bodies react in different ways. Eye twitching can be one sign of stress, especially when it is related to vision problems such as eye strain (see below). Reducing the cause of the stress can help make the twitching stop.

Tiredness: A lack of sleep, whether because of stress or some other reason, can trigger eyelid spasms. Catching up on your sleep can help.

Eye strain: Vision-related stress can occur if, for instance, you need glasses or a change of glasses. Your eyes may be working too hard, triggering eyelid twitching.

Computer eye strain from overuse of computers, tablets and smartphones is also a very common cause of vision-related stress.

If your eyelid twitching is persistent and very annoying (like the problem experienced by my patient's wife), you should have an eye exam, because you may need vision correction.

If you spend a lot of time on the computer, you also should consider talking to your eye doctor about special computer eyeglasses.

Caffeine and alcohol: Many experts believe that too much caffeine and/or alcohol can trigger eye twitching. If your caffeine (coffee, tea, soda pop, etc.) and/or alcohol intake has increased, cutting back is worth a try.

Dry eyes: More than half of the older population experiences dry eyes, due to aging. Dry eyes also are very common for people who use computers, take certain medications (antihistamines, antidepressants, etc.), wear contact lenses and consume caffeine and/or alcohol. If you are tired and under stress, you also may develop dry eye.

It's best to see your eye doctor for a dry eye evaluation, because many treatments are now available.

Nutritional imbalances: Some reports indicate a lack of certain nutritional substances, such as magnesium, can trigger eyelid spasms. Although these reports lack scientific evidence, I can't rule this out as a possible cause of eye twitching.

If you suspect a nutritional deficiency may be affecting you, however, I suggest talking this over with your family doctor for expert advice rather than randomly buying over-the-counter nutritional products.

Allergies: People with eye allergies can have itching, swelling and watery eyes. When eyes are rubbed, this releases histamine into the lid tissues and the tears. This is significant, because some evidence indicates that histamine can cause eyelid twitching.

To offset this problem, some eye doctors have recommended antihistamine eye drops or tablets to help some eyelid twitches. But remember that antihistamines also can cause dry eyes. It's best to work with your eye doctor to make sure you're doing the right thing for your eyes.

Why Does My Eye Twitch?

1. Determine the severity of the twitch: Is it minor or severe? A minor eye twitch is an uncontrollable eyelid spasm that may come and go for about 2 to 3 days, then disappear on its own. A severe eye twitch lasts much longer and usually does not go away. The eyelid may contract so forcefully that the entire eye completely opens and closes, over and over again. A severe eye twitch becomes extremely annoying, interfering with daily life.
2. Relax. Try to eliminate stress in your daily life.
3. Limit caffeine.
4. Rest. Get plenty of sleep and take frequent breaks from the computer.
5. Apply warm compresses to the twitching eye and gently massage the eyelid with your fingers.
6. Try over-the-counter oral or topical (eye drop) antihistamines to slow the eyelid muscle contractions.
7. For severe eye twitching or a twitch that last longer than a few days, see your eye doctor. Treatment for severe eye twitching may include Botox injections to paralyze the eye muscles, medications to relax the muscles or surgery to remove the contributing eye muscles.