Eye Wonder – Why Does My Eyelid Twitch?

A twitch, tic, or spasm in the eyelid is a pretty common complaint.  It is caused by fine, involuntary contractions of the muscle surrounding the eye and has a fancy medical term called ‘myokymia’. Most often only the bottom lid of one eye is affected, but the top eyelid also can twitch. Most twitches come and go throughout the day.  They can last for days, weeks and even months. This is almost always a benign condition, unrelated to any disease and requires no treatment. It may be triggered by things such as stress, caffeine, eyestrain, alcohol, dry eyes, allergies, nutritional imbalance and/or tiredness.  At its worst, it is an annoyance! Rest assured, even though you feel like everyone around you is staring at you and wondering why you keep winking at them, it is likely your twitch is barely perceived by others or not at all.

Dr. Jennifer Ruprecht, O.D