A sudden eye twitch is a frustrating but common feeling. You may feel it from time to time too. In this age of stress, uneven sleep patterns and drinking gallons of caffeine, many can’t avoid it.
A spasm in your lower eyelid will make you feel a sudden tic for a split second. It can be uncomfortable, especially if you are in a crowd. While it is usually difficult for others to notice, it is not a pleasant occurrence.
These minor twitches are usually harmless. They last for a short time and don’t have any consequences. Still, it would be good to know how to prevent them. This article covers how to stop an eye twitch and prevent it from happening again.
Types and Causes of Eye Twitch
Eye twitches are usually short-lived light spasms in your lower eyelids. This condition is called myokymia. You will feel an involuntary twitch that might or might not make you blink. Sometimes it will cause you to close your eyes more often, but most of the time it’s just a little squint.
Eye tics can occur daily, and sometimes they stop completely only to start again after a couple of days or weeks. They are not hazardous to health and while you can do a lot to stop them, they will also go away on their own after some time.
If your eye spasm is short, affects only one eye, and goes away after some time, you have nothing to worry about. Yet, if the twitches begin to last longer and affect both eyes, you may want to consult your doctor. The more serious conditions that involve twitchy eyes are:
- Blepharospasm: A condition that affects both of your eyes. It causes both of your eyelids to shut for a moment. This can cause problems with your vision and affect your daily activities.
- Hemifacial spasm: This is a serious condition that starts with the closing of one eye and spreads along one side of the face. This causes one side of your face to ‘’drop’’ and it is visible and frustrating to treat.
The causes of myokymia are like other muscle twitches that happen in the body. Experts attribute this to irritated nerves. Some of the causes are:
- Fatigue
- Stress
- Unsettled sleep
- Alcohol
- Smoking
- Caffeine
- Side effects of medication
- Bad diet
- Vision problems
- Allergies
- Eye irritation
How to Stop an Eye Twitch
While a minor twitch usually goes away on its own, you can still make it go away faster. Since most of the studies connect these ticks to an unhealthy lifestyle, you may want to change your habits.
Rest your mind and body
Mental and physical exertion are the primary cause of involuntary squints. If you overworked yourself or stayed up late, you will probably feel spasms in your lower eye. When you’re well rested, the nerves around your eyes would be rested too. Also, find some time for a 15-minute power-nap.
If your job involves constant staring at the screen, you may also find the “20×3” rule helpful. The rule is: After 20 minutes of looking at the monitor, find something 20 feet away and look at it for 20 seconds. This method allows your eyes to rest and refresh.
Cut Your Caffeine Intake
If you can’t go through a day without caffeine, you may have to reconsider if you’re experiencing frequent eye twitches. Experts have found a strong link between lower eye spasms and heavy caffeine use.
You may want to find more natural and healthy ways to stay awake and energetic during the day. You can stop your twitches by omitting or cutting back caffeine products such as coffee, soda, black tea, green tea, etc.
Find Your Stress Relief
It is difficult to avoid stress nowadays, but you can certainly keep it to a low level. Stress will irritate your nerves which may in turn cause spasms in your body. You should try to work around it. Find some hobbies, passions, stress-relieving activities and engage in social activities. Meditating, yoga and breathing exercises also help.
Moisturize and Protect Your Eyes
Humans and animals blink naturally to wet the eyes. If your eyes are drier than usual, you may try some OTC drops to moisturize them. Eye drops and artificial tears will keep your eyes wet and should reduce any involuntary twitches.
Irritated eyes, either from scratching or sunlight, may also squint. Try to not irritate the eyes as much as possible and wear protective sunglasses when you’re out and about in the day.
Exercise Your Eyes
There are many ways to stop twitching just by using eye techniques. Try some of them:
- Hard blinking exercise: Squeeze your eyes as hard as possible. Then open them as wide as you can. This will produce tears and spread them over your eyes. Besides wetting your eyes and resting your eyelids, this increases blood flow and stretches the surrounding muscles.
- Eye massage: Gently massage your lower eyelids clockwise for 30 seconds.
- Close your eyelids halfway: When you slowly close your eyes, you may see that they shake in various intensities. Focus on making the shaking stop. This may help prevent any tics happening from tired eyes.
What if the Twitches are More Serious?
This article explained how to stop an eye twitch with the assumption that it is minor. You should visit your doctor if:
- You notice the twitch doesn’t stop even after all the prevention methods.
- The twitches continue for more than a week
- You notice swelling, redness or other unusual sights around your eyes
- The spasm spreads to other muscles
These symptoms can sometimes lead to more serious nerve problems and eye infections. The sooner you diagnose them, the better the chances of recovery.
If the symptoms are not serious, there is no need to worry! Most of the time, such twitches happen because of bad habits and an unhealthy lifestyle. You may want to treat yourself with more care for many reasons. You may find that putting a stop to eye twitching wouldn’t be the only benefit of a healthy lifestyle!
References:
https://www.juststand.org/blog/prevent-eye-strain-with-the-20-20-20-rule
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4192433
https://www.umkelloggeye.org/conditions-treatments/eyelid-spasms-eye-twitching-or-eye-twitch
https://www.aao.org/eye-health/tips-prevention/how-to-stop-eye-twitching
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