Eyelid twitching, or lid “myokymia,” results from involuntary muscle contractions that end up making your eyelid feel as if it is pulsing. Lid twitches can occur either on the top or bottom lids, but rarely occur on both top and bottom lids at the very same time. If this does occur, you should call your eye care provider.
The most common causes of lid twitching are:
- Stress
- Lack of sleep
- Excess caffeine
If these key words strike a chord with you, you are among the majority. Unfortunately, these are a part of most of our everyday lives. They are also relative factors, so if any of these seem to be at higher levels than a typical day for you, it should be investigated—for reasons beyond the eye twitch as well.
If you are particularly stressed, try to pinpoint the exact stressor and how to mitigate it. Exercise, meditation and stretching are all good practices for reducing stress levels. Make sure you are getting at least 7-9 hours of sleep consistently. Coffee is usually a tough one for patients to cut down on as well. Try tea as an alternative, or taper the coffee intake to a half cup diluted. Remember, caffeine affects people in varying degrees. Your coworker may be able to chug 3 cups of coffee per day without any symptoms, while you may be sensitive to just one cup of coffee!
If you’ve exhausted this list of lifestyle changes or have any hesitation as to why your lid continues to twitch, call to make an appointment at our office. There are other symptoms similar to lid twitching that we can help differentiate for you. You may even be surprised that in some cases, it has to do with eyestrain, which is something we can test same day in the office!
