Why is My Eye Twitching?

Twitching eyes may not seem serious from a medical perspective, but they can be seriously annoying! Eye twitching is the involuntary, spontaneous contraction among the fine muscles of the eyelid. In most cases, minor eye twitching resolves as spontaneously as it began and isn’t associated with any disease. However, sometimes a twitching eye can last for weeks or even months.

It is relatively easy to find the cause of this bothersome problem. Your twitching eye could be triggered by:

• Stress
• Fatigue
• Eye strain
• Caffeine excess
• Alcohol intake
• Smoking
• Dry eyes
• Nutritional imbalances
• Allergies

Usually a few lifestyle-related questions can help determine the likely cause of the twitching. Eye strain, or vision-related stress, can occur if you need glasses, a change in prescription, or are consistently working in front of a computer. If your eye is twitching and it feels dry, see your doctor for an evaluation as there are many treatments for this.

See your doctor if the twitching won’t go away, despite the remedies above. If you experience twitching that completely closes an eyelid or spasms that involve other facial muscles, see your doctor immediately.

Dr. Matthew Alpert. November 2015. VSPEnVisionNewsletter.com.

Mayo Clinic Staff. 21 January 2016.  mayoclinic.org.