It’s a staple of cartoons and sitcoms alike: that telltale tic that signals a character is right on the very edge of sanity, so stressed out that their body is forced to betray them via a tiny but uncontrollable twitch of the eyelid.
Of course, we all know not to take medical advice from cartoons – but in this case, they’ve actually got it right. Many of us have indeed experienced this annoying twitch before, and as annoying as it feels, it usually just comes down to being stressed or tired.
Technically called “myokymia”, these stress twitches are “fairly common,” confirms Healthline, “and are rarely a sign of a serious problem.” They’re not usually painful, and may happen many times a day; they can occur in either the upper lid, lower lid, or even both, forcing the eye to briefly shut entirely.
And the best cure? Rest. “Ocular myokymia can be caused by being tired, having too much caffeine, or stress,” explains UCLA Health – so it’s no surprise that “getting more rest and reducing your caffeine intake might help ease your symptoms.”
Myokymia isn’t the only kind of eye twitching out there. One more mysterious condition is called “benign essential blepharospasm”, or BEB – this isn’t due to fatigue, but annoyingly, we don’t know what is to blame. “Researchers aren’t sure exactly what causes [BEB], but it can cause problems with the muscle groups around your eye,” explains UCLA. “They also think problems with the basal ganglia (a part of the brain) might play a role.”
Other triggers can include excessive alcohol intake, poor nutrition, eye strain or sensitivity, or certain drugs and medications. If you’re a woman, you may have heard that it’s connected to hormonal changes around menopause – but that’s actually not true.
“While hormonal shifts in perimenopause can cause muscle tension, anxiety and poor sleep (all indirect triggers), there’s no direct evidence linking estrogen changes to eyelid twitching that I’m aware of,” advised Nish Manek, a London-based GP (primary care physician), in the BBC’s Science Focus magazine last month.
More rarely, though, eyelid twitching can be a sign of something more serious. Parkinson’s disease; brain damage from inflammation or a stroke; multiple sclerosis; Bell’s palsy; Meige syndrome and other dystonias (uncontrollable muscle spasms); lesions and tumors in the brain; and tumors in the parotid glands are all potential causes for an eye twitch – but as scary as all that sounds, don’t go writing your will just yet.
“These health conditions usually have other symptoms as well,” notes UCLA – so unless your eyes have been glitching out for a week or more, or comes with other symptoms like spasms or discharge, there’s probably no reason to panic. Just kick back, relax, and let it sort itself out.
The content of this article is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.
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