Eyelid Twitching
Okay, it seems like a large number of people visiting my site are coming to read about eyelid twitching. In my fourth post (I am now over 250), I simply mentioned that I had one of those eyelid twitching episodes a lot of people seem to get, and it was irritating the heck out of me.
Suddenly, this site became the Mecca for Eyelid Twitchers. I can only suppose that there is relatively little out there about it, or that more people link to my site than they do to sites all about Eyelid Twitching, so I rank higher in Google.
Anyway, I started feeling bad for all those poor twitchers who came to my site seeking information or relief, and just found a really small note saying that my own eyelid was twitching as well. I mean, misery loves company and all, but it really isn’t useful outside of that. So I figured I might as well write something more substantive about eyelid twitching, so here it is.
First off, there’s a name for this: myokymia. “Myo-” is the Greek root for “eye,” and “-kymia” means “I’m making up this etymology.” But the name, at least, is for real. They’re also called eyelid “tremors,” as it sounds kind of psycho to have a “twitch,” or worse, a “spasm.” Nobody likes spasms. “Tremors” sounds cooler.
Myokymia is, according to doctors, “a common condition where a few of the muscle fibers of the upper — or more commonly the lower — eyelid contract irregularly. … Myokymia is closely associated with stress, fatigue, lack of sleep and too much caffeine.”
That’s doctorese for, “you’re eyelid’s twitching, moron. Try changing something.”
This doctor says that myokymia is associated with “brainstem neoplasms,” which sounds even cooler than “tremors.” “Brainstem neoplasms” is bound to get people at the office to pay attention when you talk about your problem. But then, the treatment for that includes a “lumbar puncture with examination of cerebrospinal fluid,” so maybe it’s best not to milk the neoplasm idea too far. Especially for a stupid eyelid twitch.
Frankly, when I get The Twitch, I’m not usually stressed out, I am getting as much sleep as ever, sometimes more, and I don’t drink coffee (I even have decaf Coke). Maybe it’s my Evil Plan to Dominate the World, we usually get eye twitches when we do that.
Some people stand by the theory that it is a vitamin deficiency, usually potassium (because someone once heard that potassium has something to do with muscles; we’re still trying to track that one down), and others swear that it’s a B-vitamin deficiency, saying they lose the twitch immediately when they start taking the pills. I have the strong feeling, however, that this is more to do with something that rhymes with the “flacebo effect.” For all of you who want the above remedies to work, I cleverly disguised my opinions about it there.
Treatment: Reduce your stress, get more sleep, nix the coffee, eat more bananas and B-complex pills. Throw in a couple of sugar pills for good measure. Save the cerebrospinal fluid exam for emergencies.
Or, you might just wait for them to go away on their own. Whatever.
TO MISS:
Some people will always be in the dark. No matter what you tell them they will believe what they believe. Based on what i read in this blog approx 1% of twitchers realize that it is more than a simple nervous reflex or vitamin deficiency. It is not our job to “change” their perception but rather to provide them with some insight to other possibilities.. i suggest that all readers of this blog take copious (detailed) notes in their personal journals and note if the twitches are preludes to significant events in their lives.
peace.
In the case of severe eyelid twitching which lasts for months and even years, it may very likely be one of the symptoms of Tardive Dyskinesia which falls under the EPS (extrapyramidal symptoms) syndrome.
Such EPS syndrome (mainly physical movement disorders, including Hemifacial Spasms triggered by bodily chemical imbalances) in turn is caused by disturbances to the dopamine receptors of the nervous system that is induced normally by most of the AAP’s (atypical antipsychotics).
http://www.healthatoz.com/healthatoz/Atoz/common/standard/transform.jsp?requestURI=/healthatoz/Atoz/ency/tardive_dyskinesia.jsp
http://www.knowledgeofhealth.com/report.asp?story=Tardive+Dyskinesia+Horror+Stories&catagory=Conventional+Medicine,+Drugs,+Brain
My healing experience from such chronic eyelid twitching sickness caused by Tardive Dyskinesia (as reference materials only) :
http://webportal.com.my/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=4437
Upper left, twitching annoyingly on and off… especially at the moment as I pull long shifts writing a dissertation.
For me… lots of computer work and reading, caffeine, short on sleep, and clinical psyc work which is by it’s nature stressful. In other words, not a good mix given the hypothesised risk factors…
Also possibly related, I should probably get my vision rechecked as it’s been a decade since I had Lasik surgery, and everyone’s eyes change slightly over time. I think my right eye may be not quite as perfect as it used to be ten years ago, and possibly the left is overcompensating very slightly with all the reading and writing. (Lasik surgery has been great by the way, would definitely recommend it!).
Interesting to see comments from others similarly afflicted. A problem not helped by sticking our ‘adapted as hunter gatherer’ bodies in offices with flickering artificial light sources all day long perhaps
Alright I must be the odd one out. I sleep plenty at the moment, which is not normal, I started taking vitamins four days ago and eat better food too.
Thats when my eye-lid spasms began –> After beginning to take vitamins, maybe its coz Im intaking a surplus of vitamins??
MY TWITCHING started yesterday in the morning. I’ve never twitched before so it felt really weird to experience it for the WHOLE day. it kept on twitching. i thought it woudl go away but it didnt’ it lasted even after work. i looked inthe mirror and i can actually my eye lid vibrating in the mirror!! so bizarre looking ~.
Going on 2 weeks now of bottom-left ET that NEVER seems to cease. I had a date last week and I swear she was looking at my damn eye during Tapas plate samplings. I do drink alcohol and coffee pretty much daily. I also was just laid off so stress is quite high. I just want it to stop. Thnx for this thread.
THANKS!!! I was kinda freaking out..haha
Add me, bottom right eyelid. Used to get this on and off for an afternoon here and there. Now I’ve had it going for two weeks! Seeing the eye dr. tomorrow.
My upper left eyelid started to twitch about a week ago. Running theme: I went on a diet, so vitamin deficiency, increased exercise & my boyfriend lost his job (relationship issues & money stress) and I may lose mine at any time due to decreased sales & layoffs. Plus I trace images on a computer screen all day, hence intense PC usage. Interesting…based on these I think I will start a multi-vitamin & try to destress.
I’ve had a lower eyelid twitch for several months. Finally I thought to phone my optometrist and ask him if he had any suggestions for how to get rid of it. He suggested pinching the spot where the twitch was occuring, to break the cycle of twitching. I started going that, and it worked like a dream. In two days all the twitching had stopped. I call it the Ranke Manoever after my Vancouver BC optometrist, Peter Ranke.
I’ve had a lower eyelid twitch for several months. Finally I thought to phone my optometrist and ask him if he had any suggestions for how to get rid of it. He suggested pinching the spot where the twitch was occuring, to break the cycle of twitching. I started doing that, and it worked like a dream. In two days all the twitching had stopped. I call it the Ranke Manoever after my Vancouver BC optometrist, Peter Ranke.
My upper left eyelid twitched for the whole month of April. It’s finally gone today and the only thing that’s been different for me is that I’ve been craving garlic and salt (which is unusual for me) for the past week. I stated eating lots of garlic (mainly in chicken dishes w/ olive oil) about four days ago and now my twitching has gone away today. I hope that did the trick!!!
I saw my eye doctor last week for a persistant (2 weeks and counting) eye twitch and he prescibed Opitvar eye drops. He claimed a high success rate for his patients that came in with eye twitches using that prescription.
Anyway, I had been using the eye drops for 4 days and the twitching did not seem to be changing. But last night, I felt like there was something stuck in my bottom eyelashes right where the twitch is and I gave the lashes a little tug to try and clear them. I found a couple of the lashes were strikingly painful in comparison to the others. So I went to the mirror and proceeded to test each little lash out around the area of the twitch with a gentle tug (not enough to pull them out) and see how many were painful. Only a few, so I pulled them out with tweezers and noticed the twitch went off like crazy. Went to bed with a somewhat sore lid, next day there was no twitch. It’s hard to make a call on whether it was the meds that helped or pulling out the eyelashes. However, I’m slightly inclined to think that the irritated eyelashes might have been what was making the lid twitch. I would have never known they were painful unless I has done that little pull test on them. I will keep using the Optivar too, to make sure this issue does not return anytime soon.
What a delight this site was to find. Strange what can set off a long thread. Anyway, I do find it odd that the majority of posts report – as I do – a left upper eyelid twitch. I can see that lack of sleep, stress, poor eating can set it off. Vitamin supplements seem a help. All things I’ll try.
But this left side stuff… is so odd. I wonder if this left eye reportage has something to do with handedness. Bear with me. Some have claimed Massage and or Chiropractic has helped. Well what these therapies do is release muscle tension, align bones… If our emphasis is right handedness, and we’re always at the computer, and always emphasizing a handedness twist in our activities, would this express in a compression or misalignment that could affect a nerve or muscle?
I know I have a slight twist – right shoulder forward, left hip forward. Presently a right eye pain – sinus? Some neck pain on the right side. I’m going to get to the vitamins, and water, and I’m going to do some of my Physiotherapy stretches for my neck and back that I’ve been neglecting.
Has anybody actually tried BOTOX SHOTS? Ive posted here before once. My eyes have been twitchin on an off for about 3 yrs now. I have tried practically everything:vitamins(I freakin robbed shoppers), drugs (the good kind like reactine and other off the counter goodies) accupuncture (this is how PINHEAD feels-worst pain ever) excercise (makes it worse but damn i look good)
Anyways back to the botox shots. I finally got a referal by my doc to see a neurologist and he basically told me that botox shots were the only thing close to a cure (what the f*ck? Is the Medical world all on their own drugs? Freakin cure us dammit! Lets get the ball rollin here Dr’s! its freakin year 2008 not the stone age!!Where the f*ck is the wonderdrug we have been patiently waiting 2008 years for!!! Its like every doctor I go to see turns out to be a freakin Dooger Howser MD clone!!We still do not have a cure for the freakin….muthaf*ken…common….COLD!!!) So now it looks like im gunna get botoxed and have beautiful eyelids for the rest of my bloody horrific life. Faaabulous.
If i dont hear any response on BOTOX SHOTS, i will be sure to post here again of my post BOTOX experiences. Good luck all and hey…if u wanna feel better jus take a look around you..i swear there is ALWAYS someone who has it worse……
The vitamins help…but, there is SOMETHING to the good news/not so good news explanation. For over 30 years, right eye (not so good news), left eye (good news). I am right handed and female. Maggie
Maggie said:
(On May 11th, 2008 at 5:59 am)
The vitamins help…but, there is SOMETHING to the good news/not so good news explanation. For over 30 years, right eye (not so good news), left eye (good news). I am right handed and female. Maggie
******************************************
Hi Maggie. I so agree with you on this.
I’ve posted on here 4-5 times about this.
I am 54 yrs old and have had this since I was a teenager AND I was always aware of it even at age 13.
I am female and right handed.
I am a 45 year old female. I have noticed over that last several weeks that the twitching in my left upper lid NEVER STOPS. It’s always there….when I wake up, go to work, clean the house, use the phone,when I lay down at night to sleep. Name the acticity and the twitch is there….on and on and on without ceasing. I have been diagnosed recently with bulging c3-c7 discs in my neck with cord flattening. Could that be the cause of the non stop twitching? Someone please let me know…Thanks Sally C
Wow its great to see so many people have the same problem, and there I was thinking it was just me! Unlike many though I can definitly say I am stessed and I don’t get enough sleep – both of which I can handle, but what I CANNOT handle is this damn eyelid of mine which jumps all the time!! I get so embarassed, when I’m talking face to face I hold my left eye closed otherewise I know it will start jumping around! It is driving me crazy. I know it will go away in a few days but it always comes back when I’m tired or worried! And the only thing that makes it go away is lots and lots of sleep – try telling my boss that!
I ran across you all a couple of days ago and was inspired to think logically about what I’ve been doing differently that might be causing my right eyelid to twitch and make me crazy for the last six weeks. I’ve been a coffee drinker for 20 years, have rarely gotten enough sleep, and have been stressed forever. It occurred to me that the only thing different is that around six weeks ago, I started taking one over-the-counter sleep aid (with active ingredients acetaminophen 500 mg and diphenhydramine hydrochloride 25 mg) every night. In an admittedly unscientific experiment (over the course of just 2 nights and n=1), I observed yesterday that after not taking the sleep aid for just one night the twitching had decreased significantly. I didn’t take one last night either, and I never twitched at all today—the first relief in six weeks! Could be just coincidence, and maybe I’ll be twitching again tomorrow, but I’m not taking sleeping pills again.
Dear Deborah,
you pinched the twitching with what?
i had the same problem for almost a week i was freaking out till i read this thanks every one
my upper left eyelid has been twitching for like 6 months now…. almost constantly but i can’t notice that it does when i close my eyes. anybody get any relief?? i have been lacking in the sleep and under plenty stress. maybe that’s it. any suggestions will be appreciated please email me and use caps in the subject ( eatp69@yahoo.com ) … it really starts up when i squint and blink a couple times.. twitch twitch twitch … extraordinarilly annoying. it looks like my eyelid is a little puffy too ( moreso than the right upper) .. also, when i press onto my lower left eyelid, there is air in there : it queefs when i press the lower lid. anybody have that happen? dangit it’s so annoying i feel like seeing a psychiatrist for that and stress . all i do is blink, then twitch twitch twitch. maybe dry eye cause my eye blurrs constantly (the left one). i’m sure it’s kinda dry but the twitching continues when i use visene or saline. it’s also making me want to pull my eyelashes but that’s another stress story. email me !! the twitching continues!!!
My left upper eyelid twitches quite often. It started about 2 months ago. I do believe it has to do with stress. I’ve noticed that it starts twitching when I’m at work. It drives me absolutely crazy!!! HELP!!!
My twitching started about May 22nd!! It doesnt stop it is a constant twitch I fall asleep with it and wake up with it. My top right eye lid is not noticable unless you really stare in my face, as far as caffine I dont do it, sleep is not a problem. Now when it comes to not sleeping I’m unsure if that may be the problem,But that is something I do lack! I dont think of world domination just hurting other people you know “crazy thoughts” ;> Dont know whats the problem??? By the way I did just have my 2nd kid 7 months ago I think now it is starting to catch up with me the STRESS!! P.S. It happens @ least, at least 3 or 4 times a minute!! Now thats irritating!
My twitching started 2 weeks ago and I’m ready to stab myself in the eye with a rusty stick! IT IS DRIVING ME INSAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Top Right eye: A LOT
Left bottom: also twitching a little
I CANNOT TAKE IT AND WILL GO DROWNED MY SELF (ok I’ll try the warm compresses before the drowning) MAN is that aggravating!
Twitchers unite! There’s GOTTA be a cure for this!
I am joining the eye twitcher’s club. Arghhhh. I try not to think about it, but it is annoying.
Mine started a week ago. I feel the twitch intermittently through the day on my inside right eyelid in the crease. Sometimes it feels like a hair tickling my eyelid.
I did put in new contact lenses a week ago, so perhaps my right lens was scratched (although I can’t see a scratch). Also, I also left them in all night by mistake and stayed up waaaay past my bedtime two or three days in a row before this started. Then there’s my dry eye issue and age, etc. So many possibilities.
Anyway, I’m wearing glasses all day to give my eye a break and I HOPE this goes away soon. It’s a bit of a worry (there’s that stress again)!
Well, I just got back from the vision center and mentioned the eye spasms. The technician said the doctor there always tells them to take an antihistimine to kick it out, so I took one about 30 minutes ago. Hmmm….I think it’s working! Maybe the trouble is allergies (dry, itchy eyes).
My left upper eyelid has been twitching for the last couple weeks…IT IS DRIVING ME CRAZY like many of you i turned to the internet for information and found this web site. I have been very stressed out latley and not getting enough sleep so that is probably what its from. I just wanted to let you guys know I found something that helps, Valium… it doesn’t stop it completly but almost, it doesn’t happen as often and ony for a second or two. and not like a whole bunch of valium just like 10mg.
Getting twitching in my upper-right eye. Putting it down to tiredness, stress, and caffeine consumption. Just came back to work after 7 months off, and into a busy manager’s job, so it’s no surprise. I was reading about lateralization of brain function, so maybe my left-brain (logical) functions are over tired, which would make sense.
JON: If you are male , then your right eye twitch surely has been followed by good to great news, probably from your job or your love life. If you don’t believe this then track any future eye twitches. for guys the right eye is good news the left eye is bad news. for ladies the reverse is said to be true. for all you non belivers keep a journal and check back with me.
confirmed-over-time say’s peace…..
Please refer to the following for an account of my healing experience from an abnormally rapid eyelid twitching sickness :
community.kget.com/forums/thread/2561470.aspx
stop paying income tax and all health problems disappear. paying income tax causes stress which is the root cause of all disease. paying income taxes is not natural.
This is fantastic. A mad moment made me check this out on the net as all 4 of us in the room have had eye twitching before. Keep it going, join the club!
Thanks for the info. I’m not sure how much good it will do me but at least its a place to start(I’ll keep it to four pots of coffee a day). I also enjoyed the tone of your writing. Good humor and well stated!
i twitch too. guess i got more important things to worry about. onto that pain in my neck and chest
I posted the answer to this problem sometime last month but it didn’t not get through … Sorry …
My upper left eyelid has been twitching for a couple of weeks and is now driving me mad. I think it’s stress and fatigue related. Good to know I’m amongst fellow twitchers! Aaaagh! I just want it to stop!lol!
My first time visiting this web page I left a note about my eye twitch, after I got off my puter I started going to bed at a decent hour started to get all my priorities straight so I wouldnt stress so much and started eating a little better by not eating fast food all the time home cooked meals are the best!!! Everyone has their own reciepe so what ever works for you use it, this is what I decided to do, so finally after 2 months of non-stop twitch it finally left me the H$LL alone!! I hope I never have to experience that again.
P.S. me n my man starting getting along better, IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN RELATIONSHIP ISSUES THAT WAS CAUSING THE STRESS SO MY EYE REACTED TO IT BASICALLY I WAS GOING CRAZY I GUESS THATS WHAT LOVE DOES TO PEOPLE!!!
Upper Left eyelid twitch episode # 4 for me. I think it twitches because I get stressed out that it’s twitching. A real chicken or the egg type situation.
Hi there,
As an historian and mythologist, I thought I ought to point out that ancient mayan texts do talk of ‘the eye of the bee’ which has been interpreted as eyelid twitching. In these texts it says that the eye of the bee will spread throughout the land and herald the coming of the God of the Underworld, who will destroy the plains of man and drag all mortal souls to their doom in perpetual darkness.
But then Mayans were always bullshitters…
Well met all fellow twitchers!
I have been twitching for about a month now (off and on) and it has also co-incided with temporo-mandibular joint tension (loads of tension in the jaw which causes me to clamp my teeth together. Both came out of the blue, no special circumstances that I can identify, but then that is the wonder of life. I do get some exercise, healthy organic diet, stare at computers too much (who doesn’t these days?). I try relaxation exercise – but they often wind me up rather than down. I do drink coffee, and don’t know how I would get myself going without it – have young children and a business, so yes I guess stress is a factor – although not a conscious one – I don’t go around in a panic or thinking ‘God I’m stressed’. I suppose one can have a level of subconscious stress that you are normally unaware of, but that can cause symptoms such as twitching.
Now this may be a bit left of field, but I can also say that these symptoms do coincide with a bit of sexual frustration – does anyone else correlate with this? Or are there twitchers getting plenty and still twitching? Interested to know!
My right lower eye lid has been twitching/pulsating for 9 days now! I am a high school teacher and I just finished my last day of school, but finished my grading 4 days ago and have been relaxing and feeling good. I take my vitamins, get 7-8 hours of sleep, have tried compresses, etc. Nothing works. I saw my eye doctor and she said there is not too much she can do unless I have it for a month or so, then we can start talking about options. My eye twitching has gotten worse, and my students are getting freaked out by it! I decided to try acupuncture, some people said they have special herbs and they are known to be able to fix “tics”. i know it could not work at all, but I figured I better try!! Any thoughts??
I amazed at the sheer amount twitchers out here!
My lower-right eyelid has been twiching for about 4 days now… Strangely enough, I surf so I get saltwater, sand, sunscreen, glare and any combination of the those in my eyes on any given day without any issues… But I did notice that the twitching coincided with a chance meeting with my ex-wifes sister… It brought back a lot of confusing emotions and was surreal to say the least. I mean its been 12 years since I last gave it any real thought. (I’m not old, we got married REAL young.) I think that a bunch of unpleasant emotions and memories triggered it. It’s funny how something you think you’ve moved beyond, can trip you up.
I think the myokymia has got to be neurological. The same spot twitches when I get angry. Weird… Good to know its not just me.
A buddy of mine at works says that he thinks its funny when it happens to him. I just can’t shake the feeling that its really obvious to others when its happening. I mean, it feels like my lower eyelid is tryin to escape my face. Gonna get the Spoon.
Great comments ya’ll.
DEAR EDDIE: THE RIGHT TWITCH PROBABLY MEANS THAT YOUR EX WIFES SISTER WOULD LIKE TO GET YOU BACK IN YOUR EX’S LIFE OR INTO HER LIFE. KEEP US INFORMED.
TO FOXMAN: you did not say if your twitch was the left eye or the right eye. for guys the left eye would probably be bad for your sex life. while your right eye would be great.
to Lisa the teacher:
the right eye for men is good news. (love life bussiness ect) for women i think the right eye twitch is the opposite of men. reccomend you check your job security and your love interest out. To make sure you are on the same page.
Hi all,
I also have the Twitch. It’s happened to me only a couple times. I deal with stress very well, get 7.5-8 hours of sleep each night, and usually drink a ton of Mountain Dew with no effect. Right now I’m experiencing the twitching and I am trying to think of what has changed from my normal routine. My caffiene intake has dropped dramatically actually, and recently I had some “Diet” sodas, with Aspartame. I noticed a couple others posting about diet etc. I don’t think it has ever happened -while- drinking diet soda, however, it seems that the only other time I can recall this happening was after buying some diet soda, and then not drinking it anymore. I would like to know if this might be a pattern with anyone else. I will drink some more of that diet stuff just to test it out for myself.
On another note, maybe it is subconscious stress, because when I’m at home ganking allies in WoW, I don’t get the twitching. But here at work with a bunch of computers to get fixed, it goes off. And my right shoulderblade is tense etc.
The real explaination is that the world is coming to an end but that’s just a side note.
Hi fixed my eye twitch with chinese herbal tea from my acupuncturist, for low kidney energy. It worked within a couple of days twice a day cook herbs . Got it again a couple of months later and still had some , stoppped it again in a day.
Problem is tea costs £45 for a weeks supply! I made it last a little longer by making three four brews from it.
Does anyone know where you can Chinese tea for a lot less. This tea has twigs, liquorice, what looks like mushrooms etc and its magic.
A couple of years ago I did see one acupuncturist who stopped it that day by placing tiny silver ball on it in the right place after a session.
Greetings to Twitchers everywhere. I never looked this up, but I’m a left upper eyelid twitcher, and I see there are a lot of us. Never twitched in the right upper eyelid. I used to have a soul-crushing job in the mortgage industry. I saw someone sometime ago had a similar job. Chained to my desk, staring at the screen, being screamed at all day long by sales reps and customers, a processor has one of the crappiest jobs ever. So one day, my eyelid started twitching. I was 22 at the time, now 26. I am in agreement it is stress related. After I left the job, (or on not so bad days, or weekends) no twitch. I went back to grad school in January for a doctorate in Psychology. (I even looked up Tic disorders in the DSM, but I don’t feel they apply to me in this case.)I have been under severe deadline stress at times, and the twitch came back. Currently, I’m a daily twitcher trying to get through finals week, with a nasty paper which involves (yep staring at the computer all day). It is annoying, and I’m afraid to ask if other people notice it when speaking to me, but I’m glad it is what it is and not something more horrible. I have enough to think about. I have massaged a twitch out before. I may go with the hot compresses. (Also, if people are checking the usual symptoms which started this blog, I am an occassional alcohol and caffeine drinker, weekends mostly, but no more than a few of either any day, have an excellent diet, am in good shape and work out regularly, am in good shape but take no supplements or vitamins. I rarely eat bananas. As for the thought it may be related to being sexually frustrated, I’m not frustrated when I get it, but it’s a weekend only pleasure for the moment, so really that plays a part in my weekday stress as well. So I guess my advice to myself and others is you need to RELAX when it happens. I know it’s not always possible but your body is trying to tell you something, probably that you’re working too hard.
Hi the tea that relaxes eye muscles is chrysanthantheum. Its well known for doing that.
Hey twitchers.
Right I’ve had it in my upper left eyelid for six weeks now, lasts for a min, every 15 Min’s, it’s getting to the point where i want to cut off my eye lid.
I cant take it much longer, my mum has ms and says i should go to docs (but how silly would it sound – yeah doc, my eye wont stop flickering!) but since my mum has said this, i keep getting pins and needles in my left hand and foot. I don’t know if my subconscious is playing games with me or if i really should be worrying.
My diet is fair, i regularly get 8 hrs sleep, and I’m no more stressed than usual……. any advise?
hello all fellow sufferers of this horrendous eye twitching prob.
my eye just started twitching an hour ago after i went swimming… strangely it’s my right eyelid that’s twitching and i’m a girl… i suppose it’s kinda bad judging from the comment above… is it bad? i think the stress comes from the fact that i got a major exam coming up and i’m only about 13…i wonder what i’ll tell my mum…
re: erica’s comments:
i think that eric’s last line is very important. 1. relax 2. your body is trying to tell YOU something. study your environment and make the appropriate adjustment for YOU. easier said than done.. again for guys the left is bad and the right is good..
My lower left eyelid started twitching over a year ago-it was bad-I did the math in a crazed twitching frenzy. Almost 5000 twitches a day! It lasted for months. I cut out some stress and it seemed to go away. It started again about 2 months ago and now my lips have gone numb. And they feel cold. Not to touch, but like I put on minty lip balm. I thought I was on the verge of a mental breakdown with just the eye twitch, but now I can’t feel my lips either! My diet is excellent-organic, supplements, glyconutrients, etc. I’m leaning toward a nerve problem. Does anyone have any insight?
I’m a 39 yeard old editor from the Philippines who’s practically in front of a computer 8 hours a day, six days a week. I have been working in my present job for 3 1/2 year but the twitching of my right lower eyelid only started four months ago and since then, it twitches several times in a week. Are there any natural remedies for this condition? Should I be worried about this? I’m glad to know I’m not the only one with eye twitching.
I also have what all you are talking about. Im an EMT and i noticed this R eye twitch approx. 3 days ago. I don’t belive it’s from coffee but a form of dehydration. I heared you should drink 1/2 your body weight in Oz. (about 80 oz) your waking hours. Stress is a givin. Diet is a givin patesieum is givin. but i think. No one drinks enough water…
Hi All
I’ve had a persistent left upper eyelid twitch for about 10 days, and it is extremely irritating, and you all have my sympathy.
I found some good information from this website and have just purchased some chelalated Calcium/Magnesium/Zinc tablets – they’re available in Holland & Barrett if you’re a UK twitcher.
As far as stress goes, I don’t feel particularly stressed, have a fair to good diet and plenty of sleep, but I have some major life changes on the horizon, so perhaps my anxiety and apprehension is subconsciously manifesting itself!
Good luck all –
Richard.
I hate this twitch, it makes you look like a nervous nellie! I just wanna punch my own eye when it happens, and it’s been happening a lot! at work, at play, at rest, stress, no stress. I’m buying a bunch of bananas tonight and getting an appointment for a spinal tap.
Hi all,
I am a fifty year old femail and have been getting right eyelid twitching for the past week. This is the third time in the past year each time lasting a few months. This time is is a little different, it started after a severe headache bad enough to send me to bed for two days. Now I have been left with a far worse twitch than before but also my right cheek feels a slightly numb and my right eye is also a little swollen. Has this happened to anyone else….. Please help!!!!!!!
While reading all these comments I noticed a pattern, it seems to me like a lot of people have an upper left eyelid twitch, which is the one I have, more commonly than other spots. Do you think this is just a coincidence or something more?
It is odd that a majority report LEFT upper eyelid twitching. The fact there is so little authoritative information on this phenomenon suggests to me it’s a good PhD topic..
Anyway – I’ve been taking magnesium supplements for 3 days and twitching has been significantly reduced. It might be the placebo effect, but I’m past caring.
Hey, I’ve come to join the club – my left eyelid started twitching last night and is now pretty much constantly in motion, and yes, it’s the upper left … sort of outer half. I think stress is probably it, so; not going away for a while then
think it’s time for some supplements!
Twitching of the eyelid and even general body and facial twitches are related to people taking and then discontinuing SSRI anti depressants such as Zoloft and Prozac.
A good book to read would be :Prozac Backlash.
Eye twitching is linked to the use of and discontinuation of SSRI anti depressants such as Zoloft and Prozac.
A good book to read is “Prozac Backlash”.
My twitch stopped thank goodness. I’m pretty sure it was due to too much caffeine and too little calcium. I had two whole two liter bottles of Dr. Pepper in my fridge and had been drinking that more than milk. When I realized that might have been the problem I ate a whole bunch of dairy products and stopped drinking caffeinated drinks the twitch went away. Now I can drink them in moderation without the twitch coming back.
Hi, after reading so many postings (are there hundreads?), I seem to be agreeing with one of them that mentioned that “Anyway, I’m wearing glasses all day to give my eye a break and I HOPE this goes away soon.”
I’m a college professor and am currently in summer vacation. My left uppper eyelid started twitching a week ago. My life didn’t change except I have more hours of sleep, more exercises, more balanced, nutritious food, and less stress level because of more time to take care of myself. The only explanation I can find for myself is probably I didn’t like wearing glass when I’m at home. But I still sit in front of my computer for about 10 hours per day. I probably need to put my glass on like I’m in the office. Yes, I’ll try that.
Hi all…
It’s interesting to see how many people have eye twitching. My right upper lid twitches about 2-3 times weekly. Like others have said, especially when I blink hard does it magnify. I am a product of lack of sleep, and stress, and am wondering if that has anything to do with it, because it’s been that way for me for a while now, and I’ve never had it. It just started to occur about 3 months ago.
I just became more concerned because my daughter just met someone who had Bell’s Palsy, and has eye twitching and cheek twitching and she says that they are aftershocks of the Palsy.
Has anyone heard of that? I hoping that eye twitching is not a precursor to Bell’s Palsy.
Good luck to all who have this annoying, but yet livable condition.
It is probably safe to classify the majority cases of eyelid twitching into BFS, that is Benign Fasciculation Syndrome
http://www.positivearticles.com/Article/Benign-Fasciculation-Syndrome-and-Muscle-Twitching/16467
I suffer with silent occular Migraine, so when I start to get the eye twitching, I just assume that I’m starting to get a bad one. The twitching is usually alway’s in one eye only, but this time it is like a blinking traffic light in both eyes , and is making it hard to focus and distorting my vision. Yes I did eat 2 dark chocolate hershey bars about a week ago. I know I shouldn’t eat it. Cause the migraine , twitching (or both ) usually follow after a few day’s. Good grief
Any medications, especially the ones that involve the changing of the normal functioning of dopmaine receptors (one of the main neurotransmitters in our nervous system essential for the control of human body motions), such as blocking them etc (in carrying out their medical mechanisms to cure certain other sicknesses and unfortunately is also one of the unavoidable side effects of such medications) would definitely present a possibility of causing interruptions to the “message sending, conveying and relaying” neuron operations between the human brain and any parts of the human body resulting in various neuromuscular disorders, indluding abnormally eye blinking and other muscle spasms.
Please refer to the follows for a follow-up of the information given above :
http://tcmdiscovery.com/bbs/forum_posts.asp?TID=4393
Hi all…
Just to know that there are other twitches out there is comforting. I felt like I was going crazy until I found this site. My upper left eyelid has been twitching for 4 months now and have just about had enough of it, but according to my optometrist it will eventually go away. He says it’s nothing to worry about. Until then we can all say we belong to a very interesting group of people. Good Luck everyone.
I have had a twitching eye for the past year. At around the same time I also had some muscle cramps in my leg. I went to get it checked out and was surprised my doc made me have a blood test to see my magnesium levels. Sure enough they were way low. Apparently, low magnesium causes muscle spasms. I took a magnesium supplement for two months.Not wanting to take them indefinetely I found out which foods had extra magnesium in them and have been fine since.
hey twitchers i also am going nucking futs
i have my mouse in one hand and a steak knife in the other! both my eyelids vibrate on and off regularly(they like to mix it up a little for their own entertainment). Just stop beeing stressed? ya O.K. , more sleep- why dont we just add more hours to the day? I dont like bannanas and for caffine and alcohol who are we kidding! But after recently getting my lips botoxed i read in the pamphlet that it can work for this too. Gotta love botox, i’ll see how desperate i get(botox aint cheep and needles near my eye- i dunno) Good luck to the rest of you!
Newcomer to the Club. I am a left lower lid eye twitcher. It has been constantly twitching for 6 weeks now-non stop (it looks like a heartbeat). I saw my doctor 4 weeks ago and she gave me Flexeril (didn’t like that, I was a walking zombie) I called her back and now she’s referring me to a Neurologist. After reading all these blogs I’ve come to the conclusion that no Doctor is going to fix this, only time will (if I’m lucky)
The worst part is when I’m talking to someone and all of a sudden they say “Wow, your eye really twitches”, yeah like I didn’t know that already. Anyways, thanks for this site, I love it!
Happy Twitching LOL!!!!
Holy H E double hockey sticks! So it looks like this is quite the blog eh? Hundreds of thousands posting here about the eye lid twitch.
So here’s my two cents.
1. It’s happened a lot after lasic surgury
2. I have a crazy stressful job
3. I have been cheating on my GF
Hi, I’m Alison.
It has been 10 seconds since my last eye twitch.
Well..here I am at the Eye Twitcher’s Anonymous meeting..and what can I say? Glad to see that we have all come together to give support. An online community that ‘twitches’ together – laughs together.
So- seriously – it’s my lower left eye (almost right above my cheek). It is so effing annoying that I pretty much just want to stab it with something until it…oh, jeez, almost thought I was at a different ‘meeting’.
Anyway, I was diagnosed a few months ago with Lyme Disease and I am wondering if this could be a sign of a ‘flare up’? Does anyone know? Or should I google Lymes Anonymous for that one? Please help before I hit the streets looking for something to make it stop.
Well here is my twitching story, could it be the fact I started a diet 5days ago(a popular diet starts with a N and end with system) now my lower eye lid won’t stop twitching also my job is very stressful this week so I am sure that is making the twitching surface.
I’m actually quite relieved to see so many people with the same problem as me. When I first encountered this twitch it was on my upper left eyelid and I always attributed it with being stressed. After a few months it eventually went away naturally.
However, after about a year the problem returned but now it’s in my bottom right eyelid and happens many times a day. It’s sooooo annoying.
Anyways I went on a nice relaxing vacation last week and guess what? No twitching in my eyelid at all! But then as soon as I came back to work it started up again so I really think in my case it’s attributed to stress since I get a decent amount of sleep and drink coffee only a couple times a week. I also stare at a computer screen for hours a day so that could be a contributing factor too.
Hi fellow twitchers!!!
This has been a very useful thread for me, my left eyelid has been twitching for about three weeks and was getting worse everyday.
I tried all those stress related advices, like relaxing, drinking lots of fluid, sleeping 8hrs, turning down my computer’s brightness, n God knows wat not all but nothing was working.
Then i read somewhere over the internet that it might be related to nerve pinch coz of some neck or back pain and i have been having this neck pain for more than a couple of months. I was worried that it is due my workout at the gym or somethin.
I did not wanted to see a doctor as m not insured(i know thats bad), so i used an old home remedy.
what you do is sleep without a pillow on your back. It was quite uncomfortable the first 2 days but then on the third day my eyelid stopped twiching and its the first lovely twitch free weekend i had in a long time.
Hope this might help….
Cheers!!!
Your eyelid/s are NOT twitching – its the nerves that move the eyelid thats twiching, Why? Well its mostly because this important nerve is telling your brain [constantly] that your eyes are dry, that you have just been out in the sun and the sun as dried out your eyeball TEAR FILM, this oily tear film as broke up and is of very poor quality, it lacks oil from your meibomian glands [k/as your tear ducts to the man in the street] OIL WISE your eyes are being starved of oil and water [k/as tears]
Read the above 3 times, THEN lets move on: Your eyes are dry because you are not producing sufficient tears, meaning tears with a good oil and water mix. Why? Age plays its part, infection is involved, and its a condition with no known cure. [No known cure – YES, no known cure]
I want you to now run off and find a cure, if you’ve got cash- they’ve got a cure?
Dr Doe will prescribe Doxycillan, it sounds great, wrong, stop taking the tablets and your back to square 1. Dr Ray will presecribe B-O-T-O-X, sounds great doesn’t it, take it from me a waste of time, 7 years from now Dr Me will say we are going to seal your tear ducts – and thats about 90% better relief than anything else your going to get. It save what little tears you have and keeps your eyes more moist. O’ I forgot to mention eyedrops, these are the number one con, the big promise – that delivers nothing, but frustation at the constant twiching, and you can become allergic to them and need to switch brands regularly. As for conjutivitus – this is evidence of an eye-problem and not an illness or complaint. And, for now just pass me the Prozac, and let me switch off for an hour or two?
Wanna see something weird. Hold your eye lash while it’s twitching, pull outward and look into the mirror. It starts flapping like a bird.
The $64000 dollar test – to see if your eyes are dry?
Twichers, please follow this advice, for the next 7 days before you get into bed, go into the bathroom with a small drinking glass of boiled [boiled in a kettle] luke warm water and bathe both eyes with this lukewarm water soaked on a cotton wool pad or cotton wool ball. Don’t wipe your face dry, don’t dab it with a towel. just get into bed with “wet eyes.” If you sleep well and if you don’t wake up with your usual/s, and THE NEXT DAY your eyes feel great, and the day after, and the day after that, then your doing great. Your not cured – but as long as you keep washing your eyes every night WITHOUT FAIL and allowing them to soak up some moisture from the water your using – then your as good as cured, maybe 85% curred, or at least not bothered by dry-eye-twiches. The last 5 days have been great for me, why, because I’ve bothered to wash my eyes gently with clean [wet] water each night and thats what they so badly need. MOISTURE.
I also had L upper eyelid twitch that would last about 5 mins off and on. Very few other people would notice, but it drove me crazy. Many of the factors listed previously were possible contributors — stress, diet, etc. No relief obtained from optometrist, neurologist, etc. Finally, the only thing that totally stopped the twitching was Botox. For that fellow twitcher who asked if it works — YES it does and you get the added benefit of getting rid of a few wrinkles. The flip side is that it is expensive.
The longer I read this post the more my eye twitches. Both are now twitching infact, which is rare…. grr!
My lower left eyelid twitch started about 6 weeks ago, when several things changed in my lifestyle on the one weekend:
1) I quit smoking
2) …and subsequently became more stressed
3) I changed my diet to not include fast food
4) I start seeing a chiro
5) I bought a playstation which I’ve played about 50hrs over the last 6 weeks
6) It’s the middle of winter; cold & dry weather; not sleeping as well due to partner stealing the quilt!
I’m yet to change anything but I’m putting money on my condition caused by dry eyes. When I smoked, I’d take regular breaks from the computer or TV whereas now I dont have anything to prompt me to break.. I tend to blink once every 5mins when using the computer!
I’ll install that workpace program to prompt me to look away from the screen every 10mins and to take regular breaks. If this works I’ll post
Good luck to you all, I feel your pain!
Can anyone please answer my problem- I did a job for a few months which involved lots of computer and office work for lots of hours and this strained my eyes a lot. I left the job some weeks ago. I do computer work at home but never had eye strain before I did the job. Now since a couple of weeks eyestrain increasing and now a side-to-side undulating (wave-like) tremor over upper eyelid of one eye also which is not going away- it is probably increasing in frequency. What is the diagnosis and what is the cure? Please, any intelligent responses welcome. Desperate for relief because I don’t want it to become permanent and impair my vision. Thanks
A.R.: If the tremor is related to considerable eye strain, you should probably see a doctor about it. A lot of people here suffer from incidental tremors, ones that come and go for no apparent reason. Yours seems to have a likely cause, and sounds more serious than the usual case. Doctors have been known have remedies for cases with specific causes, but I would not want to venture an uneducated guess in a case that could be as potentially serious as you make your sound.
Until you can get the appointment, try the various remedies people talk about here while waiting. One that works fairly well for me is simply to look into a mirror and concentrate on the tremor–I find that it helps, somehow, to stop it from acting up, either subconsciously or from visual feedback, how I don’t know. I just know it works for me. If it helps for you, then keep a small mirror handy and use it whenever the tremor acts up.
Otherwise, take potassium, B12, bananas, liquids, etc., all in moderation, of course–but don’t treat any of our homegrown remedies as a substitute for medical attention. Good luck, and let us know what happens!
Reply to A.R. / August 3rd, 2008 post [2 up)
It’s an old wives tale that you can strain your eyes, taking a guess you work in a dry atmosphere, you don’t get outside enough and your diet lacks a good / usable [eye] oil. So place some open water containers in the room/s you live and work in, buy a bottle of cod liver oil and take a teaspoon of it each day, eat a mackeral fish now and then, change your soap [do not use strong *detergent soaps*] keep away from washing machine fumes and handling soap powder, cement, gasoline or diesel, and don’t rub your eyes because their tired or irritable. On cold, windy days get outside and let the elements soothe your eyes naturally, and keep away from the S-U-N.
Us human animals get old and by doing so are paying the price for our “protected unatural existance”. I’d hazard a guess farmers and out door workers do not get our problem. And reduce your computer hours. Good body health means indirectly good eye health, so 30 minutes outside x 3 times p.w can do wonders.
Wow, I’m glad I’m not alone in my Eye Twitching dilemma! For me it started two days ago while I was reading a book online. I figured it was my eyes telling me I needed to get away from the computer, but it hasn’t stopped twitching since. It’s my upper left eye lid. It twitches on and off all day for about 15 seconds. I can even see it moving when I look in the mirror. I’m sure it’s diet related, but I’m just wondering why it came about all of sudden like this. I drink one cup off coffee every morning, but I’m not stressed and I do get plenty of sleep. I’m going to try and lay off the coffee and see if that helps. It’s really annoying!
irini from Greece
I have posted many times before and I read your experiences. I have had an intense lower right eyelid twitching for 2 years. Eventually, the twitching has significantly lessened. I notice that now it only twitches in the morning when I get up and wash my hands and my face.
I strongly believe that there is a connection between the hands and the eye twitching that’s why pinching on a particular point on the hand stops the twitching.
To Irina from Greece [Reply]
Your quite correct, pinching your hand, or touching your nose, chin or forehead [ I touch my right eyebrow constantly] works. It’s a sensory trick which breaks your concentration, focuses your attention elsewhere and stops the twitching. I watched a TV programme on this subject and the patient with the worst symptons had found that carrying in one hand a cup and saucer and having to concentrate on both balancing them and not dropping them, allowed her to function and move about. In my case I find driving into the sum really awful and it triggers of a huge attack. I have extra large sun visors, a large leather leather wallet blocking the entry of the sun from my right [I use a leather wallet because it’s against the law to restrict vision by any other permanent means -this wallet can be easily explained as incidental / an error on my part] My life revolves around how bad or good my eyes are today. And as I type this my twitching is really bad.
Well, regarding the ‘He Gu’ acupuncture point I have mentioned in my prior articles for the suggested cure for non-stop eyelid-twitching, its exact location is at the back of the palm of one’s right hand, which is 1.5 cm (applicable to the average grown adults only) measured vertically from the point of intersection (that would appear visibly when the fingers are closed loosely together) between the thumb and the forefinger. (Kindly take note that this point is located at a much ‘fleshy’ instead of a much ‘boney’ area – perhaps you would need to briefly explore that part of your right hand at the same time to locate that point, and I hope you will understand that the hand structures of each person differ from one another).
When the acupuncture point is identified and marked accordingly, you can then re-open your hand , and then what you all can do is to sit down, and at the same time press that onto the surface of that acupuncture point (using just mild force) with any long blunt-pointed object such as toothpick, a normal writing pen (which is out of ink of course) etc against your chin (suggested for convenience purpose) for a continuous 2 hours (during any time in a day), and it’s preferably to do that when you are about to go to sleep at night (so that you have more free time to do it). However , if you are eager to find out the very exact location of that particular acupuncture point to further verify the information given above, I would suggest you to seek consultancy from a licensed acupuncturist.
In this regard, based on the acupuncturist, the blunt-pointed objects such as normal writing pen (which is out-of-ink of course) etc instructed to me for such self-administred therapy is actually intended as a substitute for the acupuncture needle to deal effectively with the particular acupuncture point.
Unlike the other traditional method of acupressure which involves the use of fingers to press and massage the acupuncture points, the use of blunt-pointed object in such a case for the treatment of chronic eyelid-twtiching is actually meant as a ‘leverage’ to provide an adequately focused and hence a ‘reflexology stimulus’ that is strong enough to deal more precisely and effectively with that acupuncture point.
Whereas, if that acupuncture point is to be treated with fingers, the stimulus effect generated would be very much smaller due to the fact that such pressings and massagings would reasonably not last long enough to provide any reliefs for the chronic eyelid-twitching. Besides, given the larger suface area of the fingers as well as their rounded physical shape (compared to the blunt-pointed objects), a large part of the forces produced from such pressings and massagings would then be reasonably applied onto the related muscles rather than directly onto the intended nerves through the related acupuncture point to deal effectively with such sickness.
Please be reminded that a good sleep at night throughout the therapy period is essential for the healing to be effectively done. And a person shouldn’t associate oneself again with the underlying causes such as over-straining of the eyes, excessive cafeine intake, allergy/overdosage of certain medication (with muscle spasms side effects) that causes this non-stop eyelid-twitching to the particular person in the first place to avoid a relapse of that sickness, especially after getting cured from it.
Please take note that one should continually apply that method in the case where it proves to be effective in dealing with the eyelid twitching problem (after trying it for about 3 days’ time).
For your reference, I get my eyelid twitching stopped the next day after the acupuncture treatment. But when I stop the treatment for the next few days, the twitchings just come back again. Based on the acupuncturist, the explanation for the relapse is such that if one were to apply just one-off / short-term treatment, it would then only serve to disperse the dopamine-disturbing toxin / other ‘contaminating agents’ around one’s eye nerves enabling the twitching to stop just temporarily (without totally purging such toxins / ‘contaminating agents’ out of the human body). So, it works just like doing a physiotherapy whereby one should complete the whole course of treatment (in this case, applying that self-administered technique persistently for weeks / a few months) to get the eyelid-twitching sickness totally cured effectively once and for all in the end.
Next, the suggested duration of two-hour period/day (continuous non-stop healing process) for that self-administered treatment is just what I have recommended so far to other persons having the similar symptoms based on my very own healing experience from this eyelid-twitching sickness and the others who suffer from it (who eventually get it totally cured). All in all, it would acutally depend on one’s healing progress for the eyelid twitching sickness upon applying that suggested self-administered acupuncture method.
The following is intended as a follow-up for the suggested alternative instrument-aided self-administered acupuncture method meant the treatment of abnormal eyelid twitching sickness as mentioned in the prior post above :
Diagram of The ‘He Gu’ Acupuncture Point :
http://curezone.com/upload/Art/Animation/Attachment_File.gif
Medical References For The ‘He Gu’ Acupuncture Point :
http://www.acuxo.com/meridianPictures.asp?point=LI4&meridian=Large%20Intestine
I posted here on April 26th, and realised just today that the twitching has been gone for a while – hooray! My level of work and study has reduced since earlier in the year, so maybe that has helped. Also I reduced caffeine by a small amount…
Yep, this is the place to vent about eyelid twitch. Mine has been going for two days now and I want to duct tape my eye shut. Arrgh.
Yup, I quite agree with that. In my case, I got this rapid eye-blinking / uncontrollably rapid eyelid-twitching as a result of the neuromuscular side effects of certain depression-related medications that I took in the first place to deal with my depression sickness.
But when I got such a side effect of rapid eye-blinking / eyelid-twitching from taking such depression-related medication, this eye-sickness just simply appeared to be far more depressing than the depression sickness itself.
Luckily I got it eventually and totally cured once and for all through acupuncture therapy.
For more details, please refer to :
http://www.wrongplanet.net/postxf66170-0-30.html&sid=accdf0869f9f7be23025c31dd3e9f0bd
I can’t believe I found this site. My right eyelid has been twitching for about 3 weeks now and it’s driving me insane. Thanks for all tipsto try to get it to stop.
I have it when I squeeze my eyes tightly shut and open them, its recent, as in the last couple weeks, I think its related to my bad top teeth, one on each side, but $650 per tooth to yank them I quess I will just twitch to beat the band….dentists just aren’t like they used to be, they have all specialized, and want top dollar to do what they used to do as a regular routine
I have it when I squeeze my eyes tightly shut and open them, its recent, as in the last couple weeks, I think its related to my bad top teeth, one on each side, but $650 per tooth to yank them I quess I will just twitch to beat the band….dentists just aren’t like they used to be, they have all specialized, and want top dollar to do what they used to do as a regular routine
My eye and twitch problems been really bad for the last 3 years. My own diagnosis is a virus infection of the tear ducts, the doctors agree with me on this and they also agree that its the primary reason I twitch so badly [non-stop] and why my eyes are screaming out for help. But, you can’t kill a virus – so nothing can be done. Why I’m mentioning this is because I changed Doctors recently and the new doctor “wrongly diagnosed my complaint as an *neurology matter*”. I know this diagnosis is *wrong*but ended up yesterday in a major hospital for tests. The Consultant was thorough and her advice was “to use Botox inections” [4 injections surrounding each eye, +2 in the forehead, + 2 in the lips] I’ve agreed. Why, because it will hide the twitches and facial spasms. Botox is not a cure, it’s not something you can have confidence in, but you will have a more relaxed / artificialy engineered face. In other words I will look normal and thats what everyone wants – as for a cure – forget it.
Great to see so many fellow-eye-twitchers out there – always better to be in good company!
My eyes (both of ’em) have twitched on and off for a coupla years – left one lower lid and right one upper lid – and it does drive me nuts at times.
However, I also get frequent twitching of other muscles in my legs and arms, torso and….. even…. in my penis!! And I’m not being rude or quasi-pornographic here: seriously, my flaccid penis will involuntarily just ‘twitch’ for a second or two many times a day. (I do wonder whether I’m low in Magnesium and am thinking of getting my red blood cell levels checked out.) Nothing unpleasant – just kinda wierd. SO; just wondering; any other middle-aged eye-twitching males out there ever had/have the same thing??
Hey fellow twitchers…
I contributed to the blog earlier this year when I began twitching, and like most of you, felt compelled to google it and get HELP!!!
Someone had posted something about applying pressure to the thumb/hands??? (can’t remember and trawling thru all the 5 years worth of blog is making me twitch even more!!!).
Can someone remember what the pressure point thing was?? and if so share the wealth coz that worked wonders for me!!!
Luvvvvving all your work and can’t wait for the convention!
Happy twitching 😉
PQOTD
‘Someone had posted something about applying pressure to the thumb/hands??? (can’t remember and trawling thru all the 5 years worth of blog is making me twitch even more!!!).
Can someone remember what the pressure point thing was?? and if so share the wealth coz that worked wonders for me!!!
Luvvvvving all your work and can’t wait for the convention!’
Once again, thanks for having an interest in my suggested self-administered acupuncture therapy that has worked out effectively for many people in dealing with their chronic eyelid-twitching / eye-blinking problems (among the ones both in my real life and the ones sending positive feedbacks to me through the emails saying about its curative benefits they have obtained from it).
So, please refer to the website as follows as a follow-up that gives more detailed descriptions about that self-administered acupuncture cure. Thank you.
http://www.webportal.com.my/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=4437&PN=2
As all you other eye twitchers out there, I also googled “eye twitching” and ended up here.
This is my second bout of twitching.
I suffered for a few weeks last year, due to pressure and stress at work which resulted in lack of sleep. After I went on holiday, it disappeared.
Like most other people, it is my left upper lid and is worse this time round. I am not stressed, just not sleeping well, so I am putting it down to that. I am due to go on holiday in a few weeks so hopefully it will go away again. Bloody irritating in the mean time though.
I did read on another site earlier that if you close the opposite eye to the twitching one, as tight as you can when the twitching starts, it stops the twitching. I have tried it a couple of times and does seem to work.
Awful as it may be, this site has cheered me up no end. Nice to know I am not alone in my suffering.
“Save the cerebrospinal fluid exam for emergencies”
That`s my new favorite quote
Hey, I guess I just joined the twitchy-eye club!
My right eyelid’s been twitching every few minutes for the last three weeks… which was about 2 weeks after I got hit with some seriously heavy deadlines at work, started getting 5 hrs sleep a night, and pretty-much began subsisting on only industrial strength coffee. This leaves me hopeful that in a couple of weeks when things get back to normal this little twitch will say goodbye.
I was REALLY annoyed with it in the first week or so, but now I find it mildly humourous for whatever reason (could be my current state of exhaustion).
Great blog post! Thanks.
eric: i bet you are in line for a promotion and or a happy home life.
based on your right eye twitch.. right eye is good fortune for guys.
IS YOUR P. C. TO BLAME?
About 4 weeks ago I started having pins and needles in the 2 little fingers of the left hand. They felt numb and my own diagnosis was that I was having an heart attack and this was a well known body signal of imminent doom. It got so bad I went to the doctors and was told that thousands of people are coming to hospitals with the same symptons to be told that its a “new disease” caused by resting your left arm on a P.C. table edge and because of this; in time [in my case] 10+ years, you can develop minor compression of the arm vein/s and pins & needles trouble. The Doctor mentioned as an afterthought that they were ALSO seeing dozens of new patients each year whose eyes “twiched” – after spending months or years working on computers and looking at the “bright screen too long”. So, do some Googling on Computer screens and eyes [damage] or computers screens and dry-eyes. The chances are that this is the reason you are twitching. Your eyes cannot cope with PC screen lights.
Someone mentioned to me that their right eye was twitching weeks ago and whoala…….my eye has been going off ever since, it seems to be worse when you are having a deep and meaningful conversation with someone and off it goes making you feel like someone who needs to see a psychologist. Next thing I’m surfing the net for a cure only to come across this site dating back five years mind you and we are still talking about bananas of all things. So I ate a banana yesterday and my twitch seems to have disappeared….Then I come on here this morning to write with jubilation and now I find out my right eye twitch meant promotion or happy home life and good fortune….UGH I can’t win LOL.
Good luck all you happy twitchers!!!!
My name is Camille and I’m a twitcher…. Mine started two days ago and I find myself trying to hide or turn my head away so no one sees my secret. I twitch in the lower right lid so I guess I’m not having any good luck head my way. When it begins I immediately look away from the computer and begin rotating my eye up then right then down then right then up again until the lid stops twitching. Seems to be working thus far.
Maybe we should hold a convention in Vegas. I’d go.
Good luck everyone.
I am due to go on holiday in a few weeks so hopefully it will go away again. Bloody irritating in the mean time though.
Help needed!
Hi, I posted on 3 August, thanks for those who tried to offer comments. Problem still not solved, upper eyelid of one eye still twitching and it feels as if there could be something that is pushing that eye forward slightly (I don’t know what the thing is that maybe pushing the eye forward but I do know that it was brought on by: eye strain, due to the factors I mentioned in my previous post), so this could explain the twitch- because the upper eyelid is probably being stretched and therefore irritated, so it reacts by twitching.
The other eye is strained also but no twitch and no feeling as if anything is there to push the eye forward.
Would be grateful for some advice particularly from someone who knows about eye problems. Is there anyone reading this website who does eyecare as a profession?
A medical person suggested: to get a scan (CT) done to see if anything is there but I prefer not to have anyone scan in that sensitive region because scans have hazards- I don’t want to take a risk because I don’t think it would achieve a lot anyway.
I have recently read the following post on an internet website related to “eye on vision”
“I awoke three days ago with severe pain in and around my eyes. On the third day I went to the ER where they did a MRI, CAT scan, chest x-rays and blood work. They found a “mass” behind my right eye. They described it as a “vericose vein” behind the eye that was pooling the blood and causing the pressure to build. They prescribed a steriod regime and bedrest and suggested that it would relieve it self in a few days.”
I visited this site last year when I suffered from an eye twitch on and off for a year. No eye or general doctor could help me–no vitamin–no alternate therapy–and everyone just kept saying it could last years. I had other mild symptoms that I was told meant I was just getting older or I was doing too much– but I had a “gut” feeling something was wrong–until finally I figure it out myself–I am a celiac–and my body was starving for nutrients. I could pop a hundred supplements–I was not absording the nutrients. Gluten damaged my small intestine, and even though I had very mild symptoms on the outside, eye twitch, mild eczema–the damage inside was quite extensive. Since going gluten free I have no twitches, no eczema and I feel so much better. I feel like I am thinking clearly again for the first time in years. Try it, what do you have to loose–besides a twitch?
Thank you for keeping this blog up. Sites like this helped me self-diagnose and then convince my doctors to give me the appropriate tests–because they ofcourse said, no, that’s not it…research, research and trust the facts and your judgement–don’t let them dismiss your questions or suggestions.
Best of luck.
Stop trusting doctors and stop falling for the “further tests are required 3 card trick”, the same with X-rays, scans, damaged basal ganglia scare stories! Just think about soap, and look at your soap? Does it contain a detergent, is it considered a strong soap? does it burn and irritate your eye linings every time you use it, 75% of the time soap detergent is the primary cause of twitching, that and the lack of tears that when you were young and healthy would havewashed the soap away out of your eyes *naturally*0. Why not stop using detergent body soap/s for just one week, then stand back and see the improvement. Without normal tear production [a common complaint in those over age 53] your eyes suffer and they object by repeated twitching to your habit-of-a-lifetime use of strong soaps badly.
For the next 10 days wash and rinse your face without soap, stop your excessive soap useage and you might return to normal ?
I have been having the eye situation for almost as long as I can think. Many people just thought it was stress…. Yes, but I just knew things can be a blink away… I have been most of my life between illness and more situations. Ulcerative Colitis, Depresion, Cancer, IBS, skin cancer the easy one removable twice. So, anything goes…. I am free of depresion and try to eat healthy. I have been free of Cancer too, Ullcerative Colitis is in remission since Cancer left.., Eye still moves… One must choose the battles life can give you. Give me the eye situation over all the above. I guess I’m part of the club ….. night, ^^.
OK. I see a lot of people have a 2 or 3 second eye twitch. Not the case here. I get an eye twitch only every few months but it is constant all day long. It is on the lower leftside of my left eye. I have had it in other places though too. I get so annoyed that I can barely stand to be awake.
I am fairly certain that it is stress. It is not that I have a stressful life. It is that once in a while when I have a sudden deadline at work, I stress out and my eye twitches for the rest of the day. Usually it will go away over night, but sometimes I have no luck and I will have it for a week. I had eye twitches even as a teenager. It is one of the most frustrating thing.
Stress = Eye Twitch = Stress … . It is a neverending cycle.
I think I need a vacation!
hi,i`m having this problem of left upper eyelid twitch for the past 1 week,i was annoyed as well as worried about it.then i thought before consulting a g.p i should do some research to know the cause.then i came across this blog and went through many comments and was very much relieved that there are so many people living with this problem.this blog also helped me to know the cause which is lack of sleep and stress.i also completely removed the idea of visiting g.p.thank you guys.:)
ELIZABETH FROM 8-22-08; VERY SMART LADY :
I am pretty sure that your twitch symptoms/ warnings are unique to your needs, your body needs nutrients because you suffer from a unique condition that only you can put together the pieces to decide what your next step is. Your eye is just the manifestation of your ESP to highlight that you should be taking action unique to your needs.
you did not say if it was your left or right eye??
r u left or right handed? (not sure if it matters)
k.i.t.
to sexibiatch2 or Camille or what ever you call yourself today:
maybe you should stop hiding and try to figure out why you “believe” that your right eye is good luck?? i heard that the right eye is not so good for “biatch2″‘s
Left eye-lid used to occur only rarely; now for past month or so several days a week almost constantly. Started taking Centrum 3 or 4 days a week about a month ago — hmmmm? However, just tried the pressure application for a minute just above cheek-bone below eye-lid and——–great news, the twitching has stopped! If this continues to work I will most certainly, eventually, develop a crater below my left eye.
Ha! Epic post.
Came across this after my eye has been twitching daily for the last week. Great stuff – hope to see a few thousand more comments when I next visit.
Now. Off to reduce the caffeine…
OMG, thanks for making me laugh out loud, whilst researching if my twitching could possibly be something fatal.
I saw Joey Kramer, drummer from Aerosmith, point to his TWITCH during an interview and say, “that twitch in my eye is from Stephen (Tyler)”
Fascinating to see how many people have the twitch including myself. Reinforces my belief that were all overfed and undernourished.
Several years ago my X-husband was in a coral calcium pyramid scheme, and I was taking the coral calcium supplements. Well, the coral cal was incredibly absorbable and I developed an annoying twitch in my right eye. After doing some on-line research I found a site that said calcium and magnesium have polarities. Calcium is attracted to the right side of the body and magnesium is attracted to the left side of the body. When I stopped taking the coral cal my twitch went away. Hmmm.
Just lately I have developed a twitch in my left eyelid. The summer has been incredibly stressful, including two bouts of poison ivy, a flare-up of type 1 herpes on my lip, a cold, three teenage boys (single mom), too much coffee and wine. The twitch came back when I took 1000mg of lysine for several days to get rid of the blister on my lip (worked amazingly well). The cal/mag I was taking was 1:1, so I thought maybe I was getting too much magnesium, and switched back to 2:1 cal/mag but It hasn’t had much of an effect yet, still twitching. Arrgh. I’ll try to cut back on the coffee and wine, as they are supposed to deplete the body of minerals, but that doesn’t make sense either….
Hope this will help someone analyze their own symptoms. I’m sure it’s nutritional related.
Please take note that when there are no signs / occurences of brain / central nervous systems / neurons / brain cells damages at all, such movement disorders caused purely by bodily chemical imbalaces due to disturbances by the neurological side effects of certain medications to the impulse-relaying chemical agents – neurotransmitters -such as acetylcholine, dopamine – the one essential for the control of human body motions, including the eyelids movements, serotonin etc which are produced by the neurons / nerve cells, such medical condition / disorder simply could not be revealed / observable / diagnosed through such medical scanning examinations of MRI & CT scanning alone.
For further details, please refer to the following :
Primary Vs Secondary Blepharospasm (an excerpt from my reply to other party) :
http://www.blepharospasm.org/forums/beb/posts/63263.html
A New Version of The Suggested Acupuncture Cure For Chronic Eyelid Twitching / Eye Blinking :
http://www.webportal.com.my/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=4437&PN=2
The Additional Details of My Healing Experience From This Sickness :
http://goldbamboo.com/forum/western-medicine/444-medication-induced-non-stop-eyelid-twitching-my-personal-healing-experience-3.html
well my eye has been twitch for a few months along with bad head aces and ear aces i went to the doc because i thought their was something seriously wrong with my ear and come to find out that its TMJ the joint in your jaw that joins right bye your ear and this also can cause eye twitching weird well they just gave me some muscle relaxers and some pain killers and told my to go see a dentist so i went and saw the dentist and the TMJ is caused from me grinding my teeth at night thus stress related so now i have to ware a guard in my mouth when i sleep and i take prescription stress pills
Decided to take extra magnesium, the twitch is now gone. Thank heavens!!!
To JP, SGF, New York, who wrote that he gets it when he squeezes his eyes shut:
So do I. Exact same thing. Please tell me if you happen to die of it. Then I’ll go to a doctor. I’d do the same for you…
hey fellow twitchers! i thought that i would let you all know that i just became a member of the twitch club. (and it really sucks.) its only been 2 days so far, but it has not slowed down at all. i went online to see why it was happening, and wow. you can find anything online! i think that what you guys are saying about the causes are all right. i just started my 3rd year of college 2 weeks ago, have barely slept, and just started drinking coffee (i normally dont because i get the jitters sometimes, but i needed it to stay awake in class…). i also picked up an extra 2 shifts a week at work. the twitch is obviously caused by stress, lack of sleep, caffeine, watching too much tv or reading alot, and continuous squinting of the eye (i sit in the back of the classroom). i have come to conclude that my twitch will be with me through the whole semester because it is very unlikely that i will be able to stop doing any of those things until then. so get used to me, because i have come to stay. thanx for the info, and rock on fellow twitchers!!!!
you are our eye lid twitching guru pmsl i was hoping my twitch would make men think i’m winkin at them but thats a no go they don’t seem to notice lol had mine for a fortnight and not one taker lol never mind things could be worse its only a twitch after all
I have had this twitch for 3 days now in my upper right eyelid and brow .. I look like a manic Elvis impersonator.. even my dogs are getting nervous when they are around me. Does anyone know of any Eye Twitchers Anonymous clubs I can join? I really need to talk this out, as it is driving me nuts! I don’t drink coffee, or cola, or eat red meat so I’m sure it’s not mad cow disease, and I am only at the computer for a short time each day.
Hi. Lower left eyelid for me. Can I join the club with a lower lid twitch or am I on the wrong site? Does anyone know if a lower lid twitch is myokemia or is it something else? My twitch doesn’t happen all day but it is on and off 8-10 times per day. Not too worried about it, but I did make an appointment with a ophthalmologist. Unfortunately, the appt isn’t until the end of October, and I’m not sure I can wait that long. I might have to move it up.
Does anyone know if myokemia is linked to more serious issues relating to the brain?
Hi Fellow Twitchers!!! My left upper eye lid has also twitched since last week.
I look like Im winking at the really old temp sitting opposite me in work.
He’s even hightened his chair now and keeps staring at me! I’ve buttoned my shirt right up to my neck since this was pointed out! :O)
Although he made me 4 drinks today so I may undo one for that! (joke)
It’s getting on my nerves now but after reading a lot of these comments especially Phoebe’s I laughed my pants off and feel a hell of a lot better, so thanks guys.
I’m off now to twitch some more as I really do think that spending all this time typing about my new found disability aint going to speed up my recovery.
Bye for now,
Sara.xx Engalnd.
So glad to see all you twitchers out there – makes me feel “somewhat” normal. Mine started last year, coincidentally around the time I moved in with my fiance (now husband). He snores something fierce, so I wonder if his snoring is waking me up enough that I’m not getting great sleep, but not enough for me to notice I’m constantly waking. I think I’m going to use this as ammunition to get him to agree to a sleep center study. Thanks, all – hearing what you have to say has sent me in a new direction!
Nice post, cheers for starting my day with a laugh. I’m sure the rest of my day is going to be great… (if only I could get rid of this stupid eye-twitch).
I will choose to ignore all comments about stress, vitamins and virus’s and go with Cranberry girl and take this eye twich as a sign of impending good luck.
I am not alone!
Gone back to school after years, think its the late nights and caffeine thats doing this to me.
Well I’ve graduated from twitch, to grimace,to involuntary facial spasm/s, [now non-stop] to both eyes closing involuntary, too eyes that won’t open and along the way had the usual anti-biotoics, cylosporene oitments, good advice. uselsss advice and useless advice containing false hope and “dont know what to do next medical statements”. After 15 years of uselss advice my gut feeling are; We are dealing with three, maybe four A B C D problems all interconnected and related to each other. Hay fever could be the start with consequent eye irritation – causing inflamed tear ducts which causes in turn dry eyes [which causes a simple strep infection [incurable] in the tear ducts] which is made worse by our own P.C staring and our living in an extra bright electric light – dry air central heating world, all compounded by our own failure NOT to wear sunglasses on very hot sunny days, not to lubricate our eyes, etc. In my own case its now a brain operation thats needed – called MVD Disorder surgery. This is to seperate a brain blood vein from an adjoining brain nerve cord pathway and hopefully I’ll be cured? But, 1 in 300 die from hospital caught infections, and 1 in 30 have a stroke following the surgery. I’m fearing the operation. For those interested read / Goggle, MVD operations and hemi-facial spasmns. And welcome to the club?
I suffered from a serious eye twitch for almost 6 months. Last week I had acupuncture treatment and I am totally cured. Thanks for shopping…. Trust me it works.
Grief, how many of us are there?!. My upper left eye started twitching about a week ago. Didn’t think anything of it at first but have since got fed up and looked it up on google to ensure that I wasn’t missing the first symptoms of something nasty.
Might be a bit stressed, and I feel a bit fluey but other than that I already take vitamins and do one coffee a month!
One problem I have had for the last year or so though is that my eyes really sting in the evening. Just for a few minutes but it really hurts. Optician says everything OK but if anyone else has this, let me know if you’ve managed to treat it. Dont know if this and the flicker might be connected.
Please refer to the information from the website as follows which gives the intended readers especially the prospective and current users an overview about the Botox injections (as formal cures for chronic non-stop rapid eyelid-twitching / eye-blinking) which are composed mainly of Botulinum toxin :
http://www.answers.com/topic/botox
Hovering close to the mirror, eyes darting this way and that, blink hard, stare for a bit with mouth open trying to bear witness to that split second contraction. Not a dickey bird! But the moment you look away, Kapow! (laughing)
I used to slap my hand over my eye before anyone could notice but that workaround seemed only to draw attention, especially when accompanied by minor expletives and mutterings under the breath (shasn frasn… grr)
Got some debris in my right eye whilst shifting some old wood and junk to the local tip around 6 weeks ago. Right eyelid started going it alone shortly after, only a bit at first but gradually increasing in frequency. Yesterday it must’ve twitched 50 times or more (this would be an average number of course, I don’t keep a tally chart or anything, well, not yet… I mean if you were going to go to those lengths, you may as well film it for channel 4 eh?)
Felt scratchy when I blinked so I had the optician turn it inside out this morning to see if there were any half bricks, rubble or splinters lodged. Got a full eye exam and sight test whilst I was there and came out with a clean bill of health, Weheyyy!
Now we’ve ruled out any foul play I can enjoy the affliction without the additional worry corneal scarring.
See you at the convention!
I am officially a part of the twitch club. My lower-right eye has been twitching for over a month now after EVERYTIME I sneeze and after EVERYTIME I yawn. Extremely annoying! Glad to see I’m not the only one…
I believe the twitches (in my case, at least) came from overuse of the eye.
I go to a gun range regularly, and always shot with my left eye closed. I then took a private lesson, and the instructor told me that I was left-eye dominant (although I’m right-handed). He also told me that I should shoot with both eyes open. So I started practicing daily, keeping both eyes open but focusing my attention on the left eye. Within four days, my left upper eyelid had a nonstop twitch. A week later, I I considered the possibility that my new aiming technique was stressing out my left eye, so I went back to closing it and aiming with the right. Three days later, the twitch stopped!
Hi there from Down-under…….I’ve had eye spasams for many yrs on & off however about 8 yrs ago i had them almost constant. I was married to a Chinese man & he told me that it’s a bad omen if your eyelids twitch. During the three yrs of marriage myself, my children & his children were subjected to domestic violence perputrated by him. I still get the twitching, it lasts from a few days to a couple of weeks & always, always something bad happens then the twitching goes away. On another note, it’s magnesium which relieves muscle cramps!
sallymustang is correct: It should be noted that it matters which eye is twitching: the left eye is the bad omen… the right eye is the opposite (good tidings) ..
Go magnesium go! I’ve been twitch free for weeks now, and whenever it starts coming back I take an extra 50 mg of magnesium for a couple of days and it’s gone! Nutraceuticals forever!!! I would encourage every one to at least try it….
If you have the odd twitch then it could be anyone one of five routine eye problems causing it, if you twitch frequently [non-stop]then the brain to ear to eye nerve-cords are becoming affected and overworked. Nerve cords are not supposed to *be triggered non-stop or to work so frequently and the ends become worn and frayed*. If you wish to avoid medical help then simply apply mild heat to the eye – cord area, meaning to the side of your face area, or to the mastoid bump area found 2 inches above each ear [on the side of your head] Use an hot water bottle containing 3/4 warm hot water. Also take Tylenol USA or Paracetetomol tablets UK, 1 tablet per day for 7 days. This is not a cure, but offers profound relief and a temporary cure. Advised the night before meetings or before or after stressful situations?
You guys should give it a try at drinking a glass of homemade grape juice each day. Eating melon or watermelon, reducing stress and could also help.
.
I had a lower right eyelid twitch for about 2 months, then, when my vacations started the twitch faded away, but it still took some weeks.
Then September arrived and the twitch returned but on the opposite lower eyelid. Remembering someone who sugested here about red wine, I tried natural grape juice. The twitch reduced fast and in about 2 days it was gone
Give it a try. Maybe its because it has an high level of potassium and magnesium, but I’m far from being an expert.
Good luck to everyone from a fellow ex-twitcher.
PS: Lol for the good luck, bad luck thing xD
So I am curious about the left eye right situation. It seems so many of you have left twitches, mine is right lower. I am left handed. Is there a link between handedness and which eye twitches? It doesn’t mean anything, just something to think about to distract from the real issues at hand.
My right lower underlid twitches as well! I’m right handed though. I might try the grape juice method so we’ll see how it goes!
TO TAILWINDS:
I think that if you are a guy. the right eye twitch is good news coming your way. Ie: money, lovelife, or general good tidings from others.
I too have had intermittent twitching of my right eye. But lately I have the sensation that my eyelid is wet.
Anyone experience this symptom?
I’ve come in to twitching later in life.. It just started about a month ago and I’m 44 – very tiny twitch on upper left lid and reeeeeallly annoying. Had a really stressy past couple of years so think that could be it. Will report back if life cheering up correlates with THE TWITCH or not.
I am so happy to see that others have this issue. I did seriously think that I was plotting to dominate the world subconsciously. I knew something was going on. I am very healthy and take very good vitamins. Don’t drink coffee, smoke or do drugs (funny how those are getting classified together). There is about normal amounts of stress going on in my life. This last week I’ve noticed both of my eyes twitch when I yawn or sneeze. The twitch is so strong, I almost can open eyes. The twitch causes my lids to shut. Well that goes away quickly. Still something is going on. The only thing that has changed, that I can think of, is I have been eating more bananas this week. I wonder if I’m getting too much potassium (between the vitamins and bananas)? Not sure. There is some kind of vitamin imbalance going on.
Wow I didn’t know there were so many twitchers out there. My lower right eye has been twitching for the past two weeks. It’s more like a little muscle spasm right under the eye. It has been non-stop. I have went to the eye doctor and nothing has helped. I have tried valium & Quinine tonic water. (Both are supposed to help the muscle relax) Neither helped the twitch. It just started twitching faster. I am really hoping I don’t have to have Botex. If they can send a man to the moon – why is there no cure for eye twitches????
LOL…wow…I found this by a web search as well. Lucky you.
I have had eye twitching episodes off and on in the past from left to right, upper to lower, sometimes even one feeling like a continual miniature bubble popping under the upper lid. All day today my lower left lid has been feeling weird and I thought maybe my eyelashes were bugging me until I looked in the mirror and saw my lower left eyelid twitching in brief mini-spasms. Weird. I think though that I would definately fall under the following: lack of quality sleep, stress, caffeine, lack of proper vitamins & water….yeah I’m a poor-health time bomb. LOL
It’s been 3 weeks since my last post (Sep 21st) when my right eye was merrily ‘doing it’s own thing’ and I stumbled upon this thread.
I don’t know if it was getting the ‘all clear’ health-wise from the optician or what, but I guess I just stopped thinking about it. When it happened I just ignored it completely rather than let it trigger the usual thought process… i.e. ‘What is causing this?’ or ‘what else can I try to stop this happening?’
Then one day last week, I was driving along and I suddenly remembered the twitch and then realised I didn’t have one anymore! I can only assume I starved it of attention and it snuck out in the night to find someone else to bug….maybe it’s coming your way ;o)
Love Winksy
(can I still come to the convention?)
Like many others, I am happy to find I am not the only person with this so-called rare twitching occurrence.
My right-upper eyelid has began to twitch for intervals no longer than 30 seconds over the past week and it’s the most annoying thing to happen naturally with my body. The only causes that comes to mind is lack of sleep and too much time on the computer. I’m a programmer and online gamer so I can see why my eyes would hate to be open so much. I sit about 2 feet away from my 22″ wide screen monitor, I don’t know if that’s too close but if it’s causing the twitch I’ll be more than happy to scoot another half a foot away.
Thanks Luis for such a convenient little webpage, check mine out sometime.
I’m a twitcher – left top eyelid. Seems to be stress.
OH MY!!!!! how annoying this twitching is!!!! It started three days ago again!!!! I had it before and now ITS BACK!!!!!! I HATE IT!!!! I think that as a college student all the things all aganst me loads of stress, bad nutrition and worst of all sleep deprivation!!! anyways it was good to see many eyetwitchers out there hahaha 😉 u see it twiched!!!!! haha
Hi guys
I’m a left eye twitcher. It has been 4 month now since my under left eye start to twitch like crazy. Well It’s all started when I’m doing my phd.. under a lot of stress. This is annoying since my I’m try to focus when trying to do a complex work it twitch more frequent. I really hope to see if there is any cure for this twitching problem. Please email me if anyone really found the cure…currently I’m drinking a lot of water. My doctor says the same..lack of water caused the muscle under the eye to contract.
I’m an upper right eye lid twitcher…..started yesterday afternoon. I thought when I woke up this morning it would be gone, but then….BAM…twitch…twitichtwitch….it’s horrible. I’m afraid I am having some kind of stroke or something. I’m actually an x-ray tech…so when I go back to work tomorrow I will be asking every doctor I can find what’s going on. The only good thing is that I hope it does bring some good fortune my way!
Haha this seems pathetic. Well here it goes.
Hi guys, Im an upper right eyelid twitcher. Ive been reading about eyelid twitching for the past 32 days. Yes that is because my eyelid has been twitching for 32 days! it twitches all day long and only stops for short periods of time throughout the day. I’ve come to the conclusion that it is because of stress, alcohol, and caffeine use. I think it started as stress, then continued twitching because of the drinking. Im going to take 5 days and stop drinking alcohol and caffeine and just drink natural juices and water. I’m also going to eat healthy and take B vitamins. Ill be back in 5 days to tell you all what happens. Good luck to all you twitchers out there. Hopefully yours doesnt last as long as mine. And, hopefully I dont hit the 40 day mark thats right around the corner.
Something that helps tho. Take a COLD or HOT washcloth and hold it on the eyelid for 5 minutes at a time.. It calms the twitching a little, and the muscle contractions arent as bad. Just dampen the washcloth and either microwave it for 40 seconds or put it in the freezer for about 15 min.
Cold worked for me.
Best of luck to you all!
I have had a right upper eye lid twitch for about 2 months now. It scares me because my mother has Benign Essential blepharospams which start by water eyes and twitches. BEB is a form of dystonia which for her has move into her face and neck (Meige’s). I get nervous about mine moving into the same. Hopefully mine is just from too much alcohol and caffeine! I am a fit person that works out regularly and eats very healthy. I have eaten a banana daily for years too. I do like to go out on the town though on weekends.
Good luck to all us twitchers!
This seemed to start when I began taking Lexapro recently. I have other muscle/nerve symptoms as well, but all are mild. I have been worrying about neurological problems, but, honestly, if something starts after you start taking a med with a history of documented muscle side effects, that’s probably what’s causing it, right? Docs seem to want to persuade me that it is the underlying anxiety we are trying to treat causing the twitch rather than the med we are using to treat it, but I don’t buy it. In any case, this site helps me worry a bit less, which in is never a bad thing. If it is the med causing it, then it would be related to messing with my neurotransmitters.
I’ve had “the twitch” off and on for about 2 months. Didn’t worry about it much until tonight. Woke up at 6 AM (after about 4 hours of sleep) due to another relentless twitch in the vicinity of the tendon that connects my pectoral muscle to my armpit. It was hopping so badly and so constantly, I just COULDN’T sleep through it. As soon as I got out of bed and started walking around it stopped and I haven’t had a twitch for more than half an hour now. If these twitches really are lack-of-sleep related, this is a lousy way for our bodies to communicate that fact!
Well this is very interesting…My eye started twitching about a month ago and I have been worried about it because I have been doing chemo therapy treatments for breast cancer. I was starting to think this might be one of the side affects but maybe not. I am on some anxiety muscle relaxents..who knows but I sure dont want to go to another doctors appt…it is annoying…
I googled “eyelid arm leg twitching pregnant” and came upon your blog. Thank you for providing me with a good, hearty, much needed laugh this evening! This reads like something from a script for “House.”
This is so flipped, I’ve never had an issue with this in my entire life, now suddenly I have it! My right eyelid is twitching constantly. It might stop for a few moments but it is like #(*(*$##@& Chinese water torture! It’s making me absolutely crazy.
Not one thing in my diet has changed. I am not stressed. In fact, I am probably under less stress than I have been in a long time! What the hell. It better go away within a week or I am pulling my eyes out with a hot fork.
Might have something to do with omega 3 fish oil. I have been taking omegabrite fish oil pills since august 2008 and I just got this eye twitching condition! I had it back in 2006 when I was exercising and taking ALA pills with fish oil. So yeah this has something to do with poor diet and maybe excess fish oil intake?!
Well you didn’t help me solve this eye twitch problem but your jokes made me laugh. So good enough I guess.
Wow some of you have only had this going on for a week or so. Me ….well I’m going on 4 months now top right and it is driving me F^%king crazy. Good luck to all. I think I’ll go have a beer now.
I do take the fish oil pills…now I’m wondering if that’s it.
I hope someone figures this out.
I’ll be checking back
I’m into week five of my eyelid twitch – left top eyelid. I never drink caffeine, get plenty of sleep, drink a few beers here and there, and aren’t too stressed. I’ve tried lots of the suggestions listed above, but nothing seems to be working. Each morning I wake up and hope that it will be gone, but no luck. I’m just glad I’m not alone in this hell. It’s not TOO annoying – just annoying enough to be annoying. UGH. Any other suggestions? Someone should just invent a pill we can all take!
Ive had this crazy on and off going twitches for about 6 years and its been driving me nuts. It first started on one eyelid then the next, next thing you know other parts of the body!! like leg, arm, face, feet. Its Irritating and need major HELP!! making me go crazy at a point which i wish i was in paradise island. good luck to all.
Seriously.. u should add a Page 2 !
Mine seems to happen only when I am in artificial lighting. It never happens outside/when I have been outside for awhile…..anyone else?
For me it is not stress,diet, exercise, or sleep.
Seriously, what a relief to know, I’m not the only one in this hell !
My *eyelids* have been twitching ever since now, well since a month now ! Its kinda crazy.
I only keep hoping its not noticeable enough to others.
First 2 weeks my right upper eyelid kept twitching, and it shifted to my left upper eyelid.
Its really crazy, everywhere I go. This happens every 20 – 30 mins, and stays for a good 2-3 minutes. Stars really fast and then slows down.
I dont think I was stressed out, when this started. I probably got more stressed out eventually, but this just remained the way it was.
I Hate it seriously !
I wonder what might give some relief ?? 😐
omg finally i know that i am normal.
i always try to fokus on the twitching lid, its like pulsation!!!
somebody should put a closeup video on youtube.
i bet you will get many hits.
go for it!
Kvntoday
7 am 30th Oct 08
Have had lower twitching for about 6 weeks now , must be stress or vitamin problem,have had a lot of stress for the last 12 months so maybe ???
Any idea’s ???
I also have been getting eyelid twitching for two weeks now. I believe its stress and unhealthy diet. For past few years I have not been sleeping well, eat healthy, and too much stress from work. I am planning to reduce the stress by sleeping well, eating on time and healthy such as fruit and vegetable. I am also planning to take a vacation in three week from now. Hope it helps.
To stop it temporary stick a tiny piece of paper on eyelid. Make sure the object is wet so it can stick. It seem to stop until the object falls off, I wear glass so it’s not noticeable.
Good luck to all.
Hi All,
My upper left eyelid as been twitching since March, and have tried just about every remedy there is. Eating banana’s, hot packs, cold packs, taking extra vitamins, but recently I bought a pack of Crampeze, which are for night cramps and spasms. They contain magnesium, and although I have taken magnesium tablets before with no relief, these tablets seem to be working. Maybe it is the combination of the ingredients. The twitch is still there, but it isn’t half as bad as what it used to be. I have only been taking them for a few days so hopefully the longer I take them the better they will work. I also think drinking plenty of water helps. Will be back to let you know how it goes over the next few weeks. Until then happy twitching and good luck to all.
hi my left upper eye lid has been twitching for more than 6 weeks..its driving me mad. seems as its bad luck its the left one…i could do with some good fortune. but its true misery love company so glad theres so many of you out there. long live the twitchers. ahhhhhhhh
Man, it’s a bunch of BSSS. I’ve had this twitch since July 06. Left eye and side of face. I can’t hardly talk to anyone w/o this eye going off. Several times a day, half my world is bouncing. I need a quik fix.
I was on a business trip at a hotel and this lady walked up to me and started coming on to me real strong. Through a short conversation it was determined that she was a hooker and asked me if I wanted to go up to my room. I told her I wasn’t interested. (I know but anyway) She got real pissed and asked me why I called her over to me. I had no idea what this lady was talking about. She said I was winking at her. Anyway, this dang twitch almost cost me $500 spack-a-roo’s!!!! For the love of GOD, can someone help me!!!!!!
Thank god for YOU! My frakkin’ upper eye lid has been twitching sporadically for like, three weeks. I’m sleeping, not stressed, but I have been drinking more soda than usual… so maybe that’s it… I’ll give it a shot.
See, why can’t the medical sites be as informative as your blog? Good job 😀 I read everything I needed to know without spending seven years in school to understand it. Thanks man 😀
For what it’s worth, you came in number three on my Google list 😀
My lower right eylid has been twitching for a week and a half. I really hate it. My job is really stressfull and i dont really have a great diet. I dont really sleep very well from 5:00 am on till i have to wake up. I wish this would go away.. aaaaaahhhhh Whats wierd is this started happening my first day of vacation. Its happened to me all vacaction and now im back in this hell hole i call work..
So great to read this over the months. I was twitching for a time and then stopped again. Not a lot of stress but have been doing the low-carb thing. I take lots of vitamins and when I added back the B vitamins and also cut back on diet soda, I noticed that my twitching has stopped once again.
what did your doctor say?
Very interesting posts. It establishes that the causes and cures are varied and peculiar to each of us.
I’ve had intermittent eye-twitching since my teens (a few decades ago). Usually due to lack of sleep. It didn’t last long in the moment and went away when I got enough sleep, so I never worried about it at all. However, a year ago it became much stronger, regular and lasted longer. Very annoying, especially when talking to people. At the time, I had a painful tooth which I attributed to receding gums and an exposed nerve. However, a visit to the dentist turned up a decaying tooth. The twitching stopped after it was extracted. I’ve been “twitch-free” since then. However, it has just returned in the last couple of days and this time I think it might be eye-strain and lack of sleep.
All the posts are valid. Just a process of consideration and elimination. However, don’t discount that eye-twitching may be a warning signal about a problem in another area.
Well I’m twitching right now reading your comments. It is driving me crazy. I think it’s stress about the twitching that is causing more of the twitching. Good to know I am not the only twitcher though!
Wow. That is funny how you became famous for this! Twitchers unite! Yes, my eyelid is twitching right now. Yes, I’ve heard the potassium thing and I’m sick of bananas and no they don’t work.
HA HA! At least we of twitchy eyes have a place to be. Thanks for posting this!
~B
I have the infamous embarrasing twitch as well…. left eye for about a month and I have a feeling its due to prolonged contact lens wearing, lack of sleep and not being stressed afer years of being stressed… like a post-stress syndrome… does that exist?? I’m better at coping and being stressed than relaxing… and now I’m ‘relaxing’ so my twitch has developed! Hmm.
Well, I’m booking a massage. If it doesn’t stop the twitch at least it’ll feel goooooood
My right eyelid twitch is more on than off. I’ve given up trying to control it, but ignoring it didn’t make it go away either. It was pulsing away as usual when I called up this site. It’s interesting to note, however, that it shut off when I burst out laughing upon reading Luis’ informational post.
I was out of my mind with my right eyelid twitching. It was severe. It got very bad but then suddenly, it stopped. I took lots of supplements and all those things — it did nothing. So the good news is that it DID stop. I was seriously going to get botox shots if it didn’t stop! Now here is where it gets weird. Exactly when my right eyelid stopped, my upper left eyelid started. My upper left eyelid, on the outermost part, twitches sometimes, but it is very subtle. Subtle enough to ignore. I’m hoping it goes away in a couple of weeks, too. Now I get faint little twitches all over my body but they are so mild as to be ignored. I have had those my whole life. More like a brief spasm, but again, so minute you barely notice it. Too strange!
Hi! I was doing a search for “left eye constantly twitching”. I found a medical site with over 250 different causes of eye twitching. I really don’t have that kind of time. I found your site next and I am so glad to see that my eye twitch is nothing to worry about. I just wonder if people notice it and think I have some kind of serious condition. Thank-fully I don’t!
jaclyn:
if you r female then i agree that the left eye twitch for ladies is good fortune. not so for guys!
I too am a twitcher, seeking relief, stumbled across your site. There it went again. Twitch. Upper left lid…
Stress? Bananas (allergic). Think I’ll pop a B and opt for bed. Very amusing blog. Thanks.
Hi,
what an awsome find! – I have been having a realy problem with eye twitching. Mostly on the left. If it was just that I would be fine but also I have tingling (mild) sensation on the neve on the left side of my face. I can almost sense it from the top of head, down the side by my cheekbone, side of the eye and side of the mouth.
Its on and off, and although not a problem its quite stressful. This has given me some ideas to try out. Mainly vitamin b and massage….ill let you know how it get on!
My left upper eyelid started twitching about two months ago. It does it all the time it seems like. It started doing it now ha. It sucks. Someone told me it was stress. I decided today to read about it cause I dont like it. I really think I need to figure out how to reduce that and hpefully it will stop. It weems like everytime I talk to someone it does it!!
I am in! Bottom right for about two days now.. Almost feels like I have something in my eye but to no avail cleaning it.
I actually am feeling comfort in all of the people who have this problem> I have had a lower left eyelid twitch since July when I was in a car accident> I have since wondered if it was related to the accident>I have the twitch on and off throughout the day and like the rest of you I actually took flexoril for deep tissue damage in my back from the wreck so it is interesting that someone else on the blog took flexoril also for the twitch and it did not help. I cannot seem to pinpoint when it occurs or if there is a stimulus. Has anyone tried to pay attention to that or log it?
I have been a twitcher for about 6 months now. My right eye always is up to no good. I drink coffee, stressful job, and I have two kids (that equates to no sleep)
I am screwed I guess.