“Don’t step out of the house, as something bad may happen!,” is what grandmoms in India advice their grandsons; when they complain of twitching eyes.
Among the various superstitious beliefs, that hold place in Indian society, twitching eyes are perhaps one of the most talked about. It is not only the phenomenon, but your gender, the specific eye (left/right) and the position (upper/lower) of twitching, are believed to reveal much of our destiny!
Twitching eyes, although a medical condition that requires attention, has been wrongly hyped as a bad omen, fortune teller or an indication from the God almighty!
Well, if we take it as an indication, perhaps it is! No. Not something that relates to our future or destiny – It is something more substantial. And that’s your Health!
The science behind eye twitching!
Twitching eyes are medically termed as Myokymia. Twitching or spasms are related to nerves or muscles, and very well experienced in other parts of our body; such as, knees, thighs or elbows. Excessive physical activities accumulate lactic acid in muscles which results in twitching.
All of these experiences of muscle spasms are involuntary, and we somehow don’t relate them to superstitions. However, due to reasons unknown, when the same scenario relates to our eyes, the story changes; but the science does not!
Just like your limbs, your eyes do have muscles and tiny nerves around. Therefore, similar to any other muscle, spasms are common with eye muscles as well. Strained eyes lead to spasms or twitching sensation. Both upper and lower eye lids can occasionally experience twitching.
Eye spasms are usually not a great concern and they themselves find a solution and get resolved within a day or two. However, frequent eye twitching is a warning sign. It appeals to you that you are going wrong somewhere and that you need to pay greater attention to your health or overall life style.
Eye twitching may be an indication of an underlying nerve disorder or a severe eye ailment. Therefore, knowing the causative reasons and measures to curb this small, yet annoying condition is vital. Thus, moving ahead, let us know few reasons behind eye muscle spasms.
Why do my eyes twitch continuously?
Minor eye twitching is suffered by people who do not follow a healthy life style. Some of the causative reasons are as follows:
- Fatigue, a symptom of various health problems:
Every disease or condition you talk about, counts feeling of fatigue as one of the symptoms. And again, tiredness can lead to twitching eyes. You may feel exhausted if you are not having a good night’s sleep. In such conditions, sleeping for long hours can help.
However, if this fatigue is due to some other reason or an underlying disease that you are still unaware of; it’s time you visit a doctor and get yourself tested.
- Eye disorders that have not been detected:
Twitching of your eyes indicate that they are not doing well. So, opt for an eye exam now!
Well, your doctor, after an examination may not disclose something grave. Perhaps, you will be needed to wear a pair of glasses; or if you already have one, it’s time for a change. Corneal abrasions and Glaucoma can even lead to twitching.
Twitching can also be an indication of wrong or overuse of electronic devices. Remember, digital gadgets have a very detrimental effect on our nervous system. Therefore, judicious use is mandatory.
- Mental Stress:
People who are suffering from some kind of mental stress and trauma, strain their nervous system a lot. Therefore, nerves that route in our body are strained and may react in a number of ways. One such response is twitching eyes.
Thus, if you are under excessive stress that is causing your eyes, to twitch more than usual, you know what you need to do. Do not let stress take over your health and lead to severe disorders over time. Take action and flush out the stress from your system.
- Alcohol and Caffeine:
Needless to say, alcoholism and caffeine play greatest enemies to your health and welfare. And now that you are experiencing frequent twitching, you need to know that your alcoholism has reached your nervous system and can make it weak and fragile.
Caffeine equally is harmful to your health. Twitching eyes subtly tell you to reduce caffeine intake. So, it’s time you cut down on coffee cups.
- Diet lacking in Magnesium:
Although, this has not been completely confirmed, researchers say that insufficient magnesium in body may lead to twitching eyes. However, the best piece of advice can be to stick to a wholesome diet that includes all nutrients and minerals required for a healthy body.
- Eye Allergies:
Twitching is also an additional symptom experienced when your eyes are already suffering from some kind of allergy. Dry eyes also cause temporary twitching. Administering eye drops can resolve the issue.
Do your eyes get closed even when you don’t want to?
If yes, you are perhaps suffering from a rare neurological disorder known as Blepharospasm.
Similar to Myokymia, Blepharospasm is another periocular condition that results in forcible closure of eyes; even when you don’t plan to. Blepharospsms can also be confused with Hemifacial Spasms.
Unlike Myokymia that relates to just one eye, Blepharospasm mostly leads to involuntary closure of both the eyes. Blepharospasms are not similar to normal blinking or eye twitching. And therefore it is medically termed as Benign Essential Blepharospasms.
Hemifacial Spasms are a condition that lead to muscular contractions of both upper and lower lids simultaneously. Apart from involuntary closure of your eyes, this condition may even proceed to your face, and reach the lips and chin. This is a serious condition that cannot be ignored, and calls for an early diagnosis. Hemifacial spasms may even lead to speech difficulties.
Eye Twitching for 7 Days – Time to visit a doctor:
As already mentioned, twitching eyes are not a serious health concern and most of us tend to wait until things get better on their own. Well, there’s nothing wrong with this, if the condition disappears within 7 days. If not, you need to call a doctor.
Here are certain conditions that make twitching eyes a serious health disorder:
- Painful eyes accompanied by mild fever
- Eyes tend to get close involuntarily. Benign Essential Blepharospasms are severe conditions and need medical assistance.
- Not being able to see properly or blurred vision
- Eyes sensitive to light
- Spasms extending to mid face, lips and chin. Hemifacial spasms may indicate stroke.
- Restlessness, seizures and tremors along with twitching eyes is an indication of neurological disorder
- Slurry speech and eye spasm also suggest nervous system disorders. Therefore, call for a doctor immediately.
What are the immediate solutions for eye twitching?
Eye twitching although minor can truly become annoying if it does not disappear within a day or two. As there are no medications to stop it all of a sudden, adopting some home remedies can be of great help.
Try using a warm compress on your eyes as soon as it starts twitching. A section of Indian society believes that a mother’s warm hands can eliminate the problem. Well, it is not about the hand but the warm feeling can actually serve as a temporary relief.
Thin slices of cucumber and potato can even deliver expected solutions. However, this is something that is debatable and you can give it a shot to know if this helps you or not.
However, for long time relief, removing the cause is the only possible solution for this condition. A check on your diet, control on alcohol and caffeine are suggested.
If you have already visited a doctor and have known that the twitching is only because of temporary stress and strain, prescribed eye drops can be helpful.
Eye twitching and Nutritional balance:
Nutritional imbalance is the greatest cause of human health deterioration. Therefore, when your twitching eyes are calling you to workout the balance, you ought to do it. Moreover, a good balanced diet saves you from a multiple health disorders. So, why not?
- Try resuming the electrolyte balance:
If your electrolytes are out of balance resulting in twitching eyes, you may have some underlying kidney troubles. Therefore, it’s best that you include sodium, magnesium and calcium rich foods in your diet. If that is not serving the purpose, visit a doctor who may order a kidney function test to know overall conditions of your kidneys.
- Vitamin B12 and Vitamin D:
Vitamins are core ingredients that strengthen your nervous system. Perhaps, you have been skipping on vitamin rich foods and your body reminds you of the same, through your twitching eyes. Therefore, including food items such as fish, meat, milk and vegetables can eliminate the problem.
- Hydration:
Drink lots of water and find your twitching eye problems disappear. Keeping yourself hydrated is of utmost importance.
- Bananas:
Bananas are rich in potassium. And they say that potassium can help to provide relief from twitching eyes. So, you can go for it.
If home remedies don’t help, then:
Visit your ophthalmologist. As already mentioned, if your eye twitching does not get better within 7 days, you need to visit a doctor. Don’t wait for home remedies to work miracles. There is something greater that is causing the problem and therefore getting a doctor’s advice is crucial.
Your doctor would want to know your symptoms. You may be asked a number of questions that relate to your pain in eyes, body temperature, frequency, headaches and it goes on and on…Discussing symptoms helps your doctor to understand if the twitching is an indication of some opthalmic disorders or nervous system problems.
You may be asked to prepare for a routine eye exam. This is a general investigation where the doctor looks inside your eyes to learn if there is any presence of foreign particles, or eye conditions such as glaucoma or allergy.
Based on your doctor’s understanding of conditions, you will be prescribed some eye drops. These need to prove sufficient in delivering required results. In rarest of cases, twitching eyes may require surgical remedy known as myectomy. This is a procedure where a small part of your eye lid muscles and nerves is removed. It is said to be helpful in most cases; however, opted only when nothing else helps.
Every health disorder is mild at the beginning. And our body always gives us subtle warning signs to curb the ailment before it goes severe. However, it is our failure that we do not recognize these warning signs and symptoms at early stages and rather ignore, or worse, connect them to superstitions.
If you want to remain healthy, understand what your body tries to convey through such signals as eye twitching or anything else. Identifying these signs will prevent you from reaching an irreversible state where things get worse and even prove fatal.
Now that you have learned everything about twitching eyes, hopefully you will not ignore it and leave it until it gets bad!