What causes eye twitching and how you can help stop it

Eye twitching is an unintentional, jerky spasm of the facial muscle. Discover the causes of this inconvenient occurrence.
Involuntary body movements seem a little odd sometimes. Seeing your leg twitch when gently tapped on the knee somehow seems unexpected. It makes you realize that a certain component of your body is hardwired in a way that can be stimulated internally without your consent or involvement.

Eye twitching falls into that category as they are enigmatic even to the medical community. It can be embarrassing, mainly because the movement is jerky and not attractive to watch, but also because it is unintentional and unstoppable.

An eye twitch, also known as eye tic or eye spasm, is an involuntary movement of the facial muscle due to internal stimulus. Although it might feel like a pronounced muscle movement, don't worry; it's probably only noticeable to you because you can feel it.

So what is happening? Here is some information to help you understand this phenomenon better.

A few interesting facts about what causes an eye totwitch:

• Eye twitches are usually involuntary, in that you don’t actually control the movement.
• The cause for random eye twitching, without any underlying muscular disorders, is not well understood.
• Some common but not well defined reasons for eye twitching are stress, fatigue and too much caffeine.

Here are some ways to help your eye twitching to stop

• Relax, it should resolve on its own within a week.
• Get some sleep to rest those eyelid muscles.
• Avoid coffee or any other stimulants that affect motor function.

When should you be concerned and seek medical attention?

• If your eye twitch does not resolve on its own within a week.
• If the twitching closes the eyelid completely.
• If other parts of your face start to twitch.
• If your upper eyelid is drooping or your eye seems infected.

The good news is eye twitches are transient, so in most cases, it will be gone just as suddenly as it appeared.