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What Is an Eye Twitch?
An eye twitch is an eye muscle or eyelid spasm or movement that you can’t control. Your doctor might call it blepharospasm. It tends to happen more in your upper eyelid. The lid moves every few seconds, usually just for a minute or two.
Types of Eye Twitches
There are three common kinds of eye twitches.
A minor eyelid twitch is often linked to everyday things like fatigue, stress, or caffeine. You might also have it because the surface of your eye (cornea) or the membranes that line your eyelids (conjunctiva) are irritated.
Benign essential blepharospasm usually shows up in mid- to late adulthood and gets worse over time. Only about 2,000 people are diagnosed with it in the United States each year. Women are twice as likely to get it as men. It isn’t a serious condition, but more severe cases can interfere with your daily life.
It starts with nonstop blinking or eye irritation. As it gets worse, you may be more sensitive to light, get blurry vision, and have facial spasms. The spasms might become so severe that your eyelids stay shut for several hours.
Researchers think things in your genes and in the world around you cause it.
A hemifacial spasm is even more rare. It involves the muscles around your mouth and your eyelid. Unlike the other two types, it usually affects only one side of your face. Most often, the cause is an artery pressing on a facial nerve.
Causes and Triggers of Eye Twitching
Your eyelid might twitch because of an unusual signal in your brain or the muscles of your face. Everyday things that can trigger this include:
Fatigue
Stress
Caffeine
Alcohol
Smoking
Light sensitivity
Some medications, especially those that treat psychosis and epilepsy