Eyelid tremors are very common among the population. When someone says “my eye is twitching”, what actually occurs is a kind of twitching, throbbing or spasm in the eyelid, technically known as orbicular myokymia, which may or may not be visible to the naked eye. It usually appears suddenly and most often persists only for a short period of time (seconds or minutes) and disappears without any major discomfort. These twitches may recur. It is a tremor caused by benign and involuntary contractions of the orbicularis oculi muscle, which is responsible for closing the eyelids.
Orbicular myokymia usually occurs only in one of the eyelids and most often in the lower eyelid. In general, this type of tremor does not completely close the eye (it is only a “tremor”) and does not usually persist for a long time. If any of these situations occur, it could be a more serious muscular or neurological disorder, such as blepharospasm or hemifacial spasm, for which a specialist should be consulted.
In the case of a common and benign tremor (myokymia), it may be related to stress, anxiety, consumption of stimulant beverages, smoking, etc. It may also be related to ocular dryness and irritation, and lack of sleep and rest.
In any of these cases, the eyelid movements would not be serious and it would not be necessary to go to the ophthalmologist, it would be enough to wait for them to disappear on their own or follow a series of tips to help them disappear. Only if they do not disappear and persist over time, we recommend a visit to an ophthalmologist specializing in eyelids.
In the case of other more serious conditions, such as blepharospasm or hemifacial spasm, these are no longer small tremors but more energetic spasms and should be studied by a specialist in neurophthalmology who will rule out whether or not there are associated diseases and will assess the referral for treatment to specialists in oculoplastics (eyelid specialists).
The following symptoms require the examination of an ophthalmologist, since combined with others they may indicate the presence of a disease:
In the case of orbicular myokymia, the involuntary contractions usually disappear on their own. However, a number of home tricks can be followed to alleviate their effects. In general, reducing the level of stress and anxiety will help them disappear and prevent them from recurring. There are other treatments that can facilitate their disappearance, such as applying moisturizing drops to keep the eyes hydrated, using sunglasses or applying hot and cold contrasts in 10-second intervals to improve eyelid circulation. You may find remedies for orbicular myokymia or eyelid twitching here.
On the other hand, in the case of blepharospasm and hemifacial spasm diagnosed by neuro-ophthalmologists or oculoplastics ophthalmologists, the treatment of choice is injections of neuromodulators to temporarily relax the eyelid muscles and prevent them from contracting.
Blepharoplasty is a minimally invasive operation that removes excess skin, and sometimes fat, from the eyelids. With this surgery it is possible to improve the tired aspect of the face.
Dryness, inconvenience, stinging or a feeling of sand in the eye could be symptoms of dry eye syndrome and require personalized treatment.
Eyelid malpositions are defects in eyelid position that usually appear later in life. An eyelid rolled inward leads to an entropion, while an eyelid rolled outward causes an ectropion.
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