*My eye has been twitching for the past couple of days. Maybe even weeks, and its driving me crazy. Does this ever happen to you? Sure it does. And it comes out of the blue right? You could just be sitting there talking to a friend or colleague, and all of a sudden it happens. Embarrassed, you wonder if they notice it; so you say something like, “Omg. My eye is twitching. Can you see it?”
Why on earth does this happen and what can we do to stop it?
Research shows that eye twitching can be triggered by a variety of things. None of which you want to hear only because you probably feel they are things that are not so easy to change. But if you want that irritating tic to stop, you have to ask yourself, how bad?
Fortunately, most times this tic is benign, meaning its not medically serious.
Here are some of the triggers.
Lack of sleep/Weariness.
You’re probably tired, and being tired can cause stress; so you can’t sleep. At least not deeply, or long enough. You’ve got to change this dude. I know there is no fast-fix otherwise I’d of done it by now. But I am going to take baby steps and you should too, based on your lifestyle.
Eye strain.
I just had my yearly eye exam. I returned to contacts after years of wearing glasses. I gave my optometrist quite a time too. We had to go through several test trials before I settled on the best brand and prescription for my individual problem. But in the world of nothing is perfect, I still struggle. Have you had your annual eye exam yet? If not, and your eye is twitching, it could be time.
One more point on this…
Computer eye strain. Don’t forget how much our world has changed. An overuse of computers, with the additional use of tablets and smartphones, is an additional opportunity for strain issues and is said to be a common cause of eyelid twitching.
Be sure to follow the “20-20-20 rule” when using digital devices: Every 20 minutes, look away from your screen and allow your eyes to focus on a distant object (at least 20 feet away) for 20 seconds or longer. This reduces eye muscle fatigue that may trigger eyelid twitching.
And this, I did not know until now: If you spend a lot of time on the computer, you might want to talk to your eye doctor about special computer eyeglasses.
Caffeine.
OK, now they’re messing with my morning coffee, and that’s a problem.
But wait. I USED to just drink coffee in the morning. Now I find myself drinking it any time of day. Do you do this? And if not coffee, does your tea have caffeine or do you drink soda? Ideally, specialists would love it if we do away with all of these things. But for us diehards just probably need to curb these habits and watch how much we drink and when. It goes back to what I mentioned earlier: not too close to bedtime. Specialist also suggest we try the above for a week or two to see if the eye twitching disappears.
Dry eyes
This is speaking to me so loud right now. I never had this problem before! But we seem to have become close lately. Specialist say it can become a problem as we age; but it also very common among people who use computers, take certain medications (antihistamines, antidepressants, etc.), wear contact lenses and consume caffeine and/or alcohol. If you are tired and under stress, this too can increase your risk of dry eyes.
Restoring moisture to the surface of your eye may stop the dry, gritty feeling, and the spasms may decrease.
Allergies.
I swear, one day I just “woke up like this!” Red, I mean SUPER red, eyes. It first happened when I was in Las Vegas. I could not believe what I was seeing and thought, “Damn. Has my lifestyle finally caught up with me!?”
I went to the pharmacist there because it lasted for a month. She told me, “No. Many people who visit from southern California seem to have that problem. Air quality. Allergies. Take this.
When I returned home thank goodness the problem went away.
But now its back…with a vengeance!
All of a sudden my eyes are red and they itch! I’ve developed allergies. According to the specialists, people with eye allergies can have itching, swelling and watery eyes.
And rubbing them only makes it worse.
When eyes are rubbed, this releases histamine into the lid tissues and the tears. This is significant, because some evidence indicates that histamine can cause eyelid twitching.
To offset this problem, some eye doctors have recommended antihistamine eye drops or tablets to help some eyelid twitches. But remember that antihistamines also can cause dry eyes. It’s best to work with your eye doctor to make sure you’re doing the right thing for your eyes.
Just so you know, I’ve tried the brands Blink Tears by Abbott for moisture and Opcon-A by Bausch and Lomb for redness. You may want to give them a shot. Both have helped me to some degree but, let’s just say, I’m still looking.
After all is said and done, the problem may turn out to be an incorrect contact lens prescription. Continue working with your eye doctor. Maybe the particular material used in your lenses is not compatible to you. There are materials designed specifically for people with dry eyes. 
Want more tips on that twitching eye, check out All About Vision here .
