Patients often consult eye-care practitioners about twitching eyes because it’s such an irritating symptom. It’s usually benign, and disappears on its own within a day or two.

Your eyes – or more correctly your eyelids – twitch when a nerve is irritated. This tends to happen at times of general stress, environment stress, such as extreme cold, or as a result of stimulants, like caffeine and energy drinks. Excessive alcohol intake may trigger or exacerbate twitching.

Dr Nina Kriel breaks down how you can deal with a twitching eye:

• Twitching is often reported at exam time with late nights, stress and all the coffee that goes with studying. The symptoms usually disappear by themselves, but cut back on caffeine and get more sleep.
• You can also use a cool compress. Wet and then wring out a facecloth and place it over your eyes. Repeat the cycle a few times. A cool compress causes a constriction of blood vessels and soothes any local inflammation that may exist.
• If your twitching persists consult an optometrist. They’ll be able to identify if your twitch is an eyelid, or (much more rarely) the eye itself. In case of the latter, further investigation may be necessary.
• An eyelid twitch that persists for long enough, or is irritating enough to justify treatment, can be reduced by a Botox injection into the affected muscle. You’ll be referred to an ophthalmologist for this treatment, which can bring relief for up to three months.

Words: Dailyfix
Image: Website