Here’s Why Your Eye Won’t Stop Twitching and How to Treat It
After weeks of a bothersome eye twitch I finally went to the eye doctor to find out what was going on. Usually when my body is doing something weird and I go to the doctor, my body stops doing that weird thing and I have to just hope that my doctor believes me, but in this case the eye kept twitching for the doctor. He explained that the condition is called blepharospasm or myokymia. Most often people get this when they are stressed or have gone too long without sleep. No surprise here then! Mine had been going on for weeks so I suspected it was something else and so did my eye doctor.
My doctor went through the list of possible reasons for my twitching eye. Factors that can cause twitching are family history, irritation of the Cornea or Conjunctiva, prolonged TV or computer screen time, excessive caffeine and nervous system disorders. In my case my doctor ruled most of these out and the next step would be to look at nervous system disorders, but before we took that step he wanted me to try something really simple, start taking a vitamin supplement with potassium. I started the supplement and three days later I lost my twitch. Though there are currently no scientific studies to tie vitamin deficiency to eye twitching there is lots of anecdotal evidence that suggests vitamins can stop eye twitching for some people. The vitamins that seem to be of the most benefit are:
- Calcium
- Folic Acid
- Phosphorus
- Vitamin B Complex
- Vitamin C with Bioflavonoids
- Potassium
The next two easy causes of eye twitching you can address easily are sleep and caffeine intake. Start reducing your caffeine over a few days and get an extra hour or two of sleep at night and see if that helps. Also actively reduce your stress and add stress relieving activities to your day like meditation. You will also want to make sure you are giving your eyes plenty of breaks when working on a computer or if you are binge watching your favourite Netflix show. If your twitch still persists it might be time to check in with your doctor. It could be something to do with your lenses and you may need replacement lenses like those found here, or it could be something health-related.
If your eye twitching is severe your doctor may prescribe medication to help, usually a medication that can help relax your muscles. If your case warrants it, your doctor might try using Botox on the specific muscle that is causing the twitching. There are also some surgical solutions which can be used if you have a very persistent and severe eye twitch. It can take a bit of patience but there are treatment options available. If you do happen to have other symptoms that come along with the eye twitch like blurred vision, pain, swelling, redness, or eyelid drooping you want to get into your doctor quickly because that usually indicates that the eye twitching is only a symptom of the problem.
This is a collaborative post.
