Upper Eyelid Twitching

All of us get twitchy eyelids once in a while. It is an uncontrolled blinking of the eyes. It may occur in any one eye or both the eyes. Medically, it is termed as blepharospasm. Basically, upper eyelid twitching is a harmless condition as long as it comes and goes infrequently. However, if it persists for some days or it recurs quite often then it could be a matter of concern. In some rare cases, it may even lead to total closure of the eyes. This problem is more common in elderly people.

Causes

Upper eyelid twitching is caused due to involuntary contraction of the muscles of the eyelid and those around it. The exact cause behind the abnormal eye spasm is not clearly known. However, there are certain factors that can contribute towards this sudden closing and reopening of the upper eyelid. Some of the key causes are as follows:

• Tired eyes
• Dry eyes
• Too much of emotional stress
• Excessive consumption of alcohol or caffeine
• Neurological problem
• Nutritional deficiency
• Allergic reaction
• Side effects of medicines
• Injury to the brain

Treatment

Since the eyelid twitching causes has not yet been ascertained, treatment for the condition is slightly difficult. If any underlying cause is identified during diagnosis, then it is treated with suitable medicines. When no such cause is found, then doctors prescribe various anti-epileptic drugs and some tranquilizers for the purpose of controlling the twitching. Moisturizing eye drops are given to tackle the problem of dry eyes. In some cases, botox injections are administered into the eyelid in order to stop blinking of the eyes. When these medicines fail to show any results and the patient finds it difficult to keep the eyes open, then doctors opt for surgery. The procedure is known as myectomy where the muscles that are responsible for eyelid function are removed surgically.

Home Remedies

When you are facing the problem of eye twitching, then you must take some simple steps to stop the problem. If you think you are not sleeping enough in the past few days, then catch up with some sleep at night. Try to increase the number of hours that you are sleeping. Those who are under a lot of stress should learn some relaxation techniques in order to control their mental stress. Cutting back on alcohol and caffeine intake is equally important. While working for long hours in front of computers, take small breaks to prevent eye strain.

Warm compression of the eyelids twice a day is considered as one of the best remedies. Dip a washcloth in warm water and place it over the eyelids for a few minutes. Then rub it over the eyelashes. This gives a soothing relief at the same time helps to maintain eyelid hygiene. Eating bananas is one of the most effective eye twitching remedies. This is because bananas are a rich source of potassium which is important to relieve dry eye problem.

There are different types of superstitions associated with twitching eyelids, but you can afford to ignore the right or left eye twitching superstitions. But do not forget to check out with your doctor the medical reason behind the problem when you are having upper eyelid twitching for weeks together.