Eye Health More Eye Issues & Safety Home Office Ergonomics Guide Home Office Ergonomics Guide Overview Your Back Back Pain Exercises Anatomy General Tips Products Holistic Help Your Neck Neck Pain Exercises Anatomy General Tips Products Holistic Help Your Eyes Eye Strain Exercises Anatomy General Tips Products Your Shoulders Shoulder Pain Exercises Anatomy General Tips Products Your Wrists Wrist Pain Exercises Anatomy General Tips Products Your Hands Hand Pain Exercises Anatomy General Tips Products Your Hips Hip Pain Exercises Anatomy General Tips Products Your Knees Knee Pain Exercises Anatomy General Tips Products How to Reduce or Stop Eye Twitching By Troy Bedinghaus, OD linkedin Troy L. Bedinghaus, OD, board-certified optometric physician, owns Lakewood Family Eye Care in Florida. He is an active member of the American Optometric Association. Learn about our editorial process Troy Bedinghaus, OD Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Johnstone M. Kim, MD on July 23, 2020 Johnstone M. Kim, MD, is a board-certified ophthalmologist and a practicing physician at Midwest Retina in Dublin, Ohio. Learn about our Medical Review Board Johnstone M. Kim, MD on July 23, 2020 Print Table of Contents View All Table of Contents Causes Symptoms Treatment Next in Home Office Ergonomics Guide The 12 Best Blue-Light-Blocking Glasses of 2021 If you have ever experienced an eyelid twitch, you know how annoying it can be. Eyelid twitching, also known as a myokymia, is an involuntary eyelid muscle contraction that most commonly affects the lower eyelid. Treatment for an eyelid twitch depends on its severity. There are things you can try at home before going to the doctor if the severity is mild. Illustration by Brianna Gilmartin, Verywell Causes Minor twitches are usually caused by: Stress Caffeine Fatigue Allergies Dry eye Poor nutrition Vision problems (uncorrected refractive errors) More severe eye twitches may last up to several weeks. These types of twitches are usually associated with blepharospasm. Blepharospasm is caused by a nerve impulse, but doctors are not sure why it happens. Severe blepharospasm should be evaluated by a neuro-ophthalmologist. Symptoms A minor eye twitch is an uncontrollable eyelid spasm that may come and go for about 2 to 3 days, then disappear on its own. A severe eye twitch lasts much longer and usually does not go away. The eyelid may contract so forcefully that the entire eye completely opens and closes, over and over again. A severe eye twitch becomes extremely annoying, interfering with daily life. See your eye doctor if you have severe eye twitching or a twitch that last longer than a few days. Treatment Determine the severity of the twitch: Is it minor or severe? To treat minor eye twitches: Relax. Try to eliminate stress in your daily life. Limit caffeine. Rest. Get plenty of sleep and take frequent breaks from the computer. Apply warm compresses to the twitching eye and gently massage the eyelid with your fingers. Try over-the-counter oral or topical (eye drop) antihistamines to slow the eyelid muscle contractions. Treatment for severe eye twitching may include Botox injections to paralyze the eye muscles, medications to relax the muscles, or surgery to remove the contributing eye muscles. A Word From Verywell Most eyelid twitches are harmless and tend to go away on their own. Rarely, severe eyelid twitching may signal a more severe disorder. It is always best to seek the advice of an eye doctor. The 12 Best Blue-Light-Blocking Glasses of 2021 Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Sign up for our Health Tip of the Day newsletter, and receive daily tips that will help you live your healthiest life. Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit Article Sources Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. U.S. National Library of Medicine. MedlinePlus. Eyelid twitch. Reviewed August 28, 2018. American Academy of Ophthalmology. What Is an Eyelid Spasm or Twitching Eyelid? Reviewed September 10, 2019. American Academy of Ophthalmology. Eyelid Spasm and Twitching Treatment. Reviewed September 10, 2019.