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At-Home Treatments
Medical Treatments
When to Get Help
Frequently Asked Questions
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At-home treatments to stop eye twitching include getting enough rest, cutting down on caffeine, and using a warm compress. Taking a break from screens, lowering your stress, and massaging your eyelid can also help to stop eye twitching.
If home remedies for eye twitching fail to bring relief, see anophthalmologist. Eye twitching can be due to a more serious health condition that requires treatment. Prescription medications, botox injections, and, in some cases, surgery may be needed to stop eye twitching.
This article discusses how to stop eye twitching plus when you should get medical attention.
Causes of Eyelid Twitching
At-Home Treatments for Eye Twitching
Minor eye twitches can often be treated at home. If you are dealing with eye twitching, a combination of the following may help.
Reduce Stress
Stressis a common cause of eye twitching.Look for ways to reduce stress in your daily life. Learningstress management techniquescan help you better cope with stress.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends doing the following to lower your daily stress level:
Techniques to Reduce Stress and Anxiety
Cut Back on Caffeine
Consuming too much caffeine can cause eye twitching, so naturally, cutting back on caffeine can help to stop it.Caffeine is found in chocolate, coffee, cola, energy drinks, tea, and some over-the-counter medicines.
Most people can safely consume up to 400 mg of caffeine per day—about two strong cups of coffee. In addition to eye twitching, other side effects oftoo much caffeineinclude anxiety, insomnia, restlessness, a fast heart rate, and dependence.
If your current caffeine intake is high, cut back slowly to minimizewithdrawal symptoms. These include headaches, drowsiness, irritability, nausea, and trouble concentrating.
How Much Caffeine Is Too Much?
Get Plenty of Sleep
Insufficient sleep is another common cause of eye twitching. If you aren’t getting enough shuteye, improving the quantity and quality of your sleep can help ease a twitching eye.
Adults should get at least seven hours of sleep a night.The CDC recommends the following tips forbetter sleep hygiene:
If these changes do not improve your sleep quality, talk to your healthcare provider. Asleep studycan help to determine if you have asleep disorder.
How to Get More Deep Sleep
Take Screen Breaks
Other signs of computer vision syndrome include:
To prevent digital eyestrain, the American Academy of Ophthalmology recommends following the 20-20-20 rule. Take a screen break every 20 minutes to look at an object 20 feet away for 20 seconds. This can help your eyes relax.
Apply a Warm Compresses
Eye twitches are tiny muscle contractions or spasms.Applying awarm compresscan sometimes calm the twitch.
Wet a clean washcloth with warm water, squeeze out the excess, and hold it to your eye for five to 10 minutes. Repeat as needed throughout the day.
Use Eye Drops
Tiredness, digital eye strain, and allergies can all lead to dry eyes, which contribute to eye twitching.Over-the-counter eye drops can help to soothe dry eyes.
For dry eyes related to eye strain or fatigue, try saline eye drops. These are commonly labeled as lubricating, moisturizing, or natural tears.
Treatment for Severe Eye Twitches
If home remedies for eye twitching fail to bring relief, medical treatment may be needed. Persistent eye twitching can be treated with prescription medications, botox injections, and, in severe cases, surgery.
Medication
Prescription medications can help to relax the muscles around the eye to relieve eye twitching. Depending on the underlying cause of the eyelid spasms, your doctor may prescribe anxiety medications, muscle relaxers, sedatives, or, surprisingly, stimulants.
Research shows medications that affect dopamine levels are often helpful for treating eyelid spasms. These include the ADHD medication methylphenidate and benzodiazepines such as Valium (diazepam), Xanax (alprazolam), and Ativan (lorazepam).
Botox
Botoxinjections are often used to relieve eye twitching. The treatment involves injecting a tiny amount of botulinum toxin into five to eight sites around each eye.
Surgery
When eyelid twitching is due to certain medical conditions, surgery may be needed to relieve the twitch.
Surgical options depend on the cause of the twitching and may include the following:
When to See a Healthcare Provider
See your eye doctor if you have any of the following:
A Word From VerywellThe majority of eyelid-twitching causes are not serious and can be improved with lifestyle modifications. Should these be ineffective or the symptoms become chronic and severe, it’s best to seek an evaluation with an eye care professional.—CHRISTINE L. LARSEN, MD, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD
A Word From Verywell
The majority of eyelid-twitching causes are not serious and can be improved with lifestyle modifications. Should these be ineffective or the symptoms become chronic and severe, it’s best to seek an evaluation with an eye care professional.—CHRISTINE L. LARSEN, MD, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD
The majority of eyelid-twitching causes are not serious and can be improved with lifestyle modifications. Should these be ineffective or the symptoms become chronic and severe, it’s best to seek an evaluation with an eye care professional.
—CHRISTINE L. LARSEN, MD, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD
If your eye has been twitching for multiple weeks, it’s time to contact your healthcare provider. This is especially important if the twitching:Makes your eye closeAffects other areas of your faceMakes your upper eyelid droopAccompanies a discharge, redness, and swelling
If your eye has been twitching for multiple weeks, it’s time to contact your healthcare provider. This is especially important if the twitching:
13 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Academy of Ophthalmology.How to Stop Eye Twitching.U.S. National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Eyelid twitch.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Coping with stress.U.S. National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Caffeine.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Eye twitching.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About sleep.Coles‐Brennan C, Sulley A, Young G.Management of digital eye strain.Clinical and Experimental Optometry. 2018;102(1):18-29. doi:10.1111/cxo.12798Sheppard AL, Wolffsohn JS.Digital eye strain: prevalence, measurement and amelioration.BMJ Open Ophthalmology. 2018;3(1). doi:10.1136/bmjophth-2018-000146American Academy of Ophthalmology.Protect your eyes from too much screen time.American Academy of Ophthalmology.What is an eyelid spasm or twitching eyelid?American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI).Eye (ocular) allergy.Gervasio KA, Moster ML.Managing eyelid and facial spasms.Rev Opthal. 2020;3:66-70.National Health Service (NHS).Twitching Eyes and Muscles.
13 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Academy of Ophthalmology.How to Stop Eye Twitching.U.S. National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Eyelid twitch.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Coping with stress.U.S. National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Caffeine.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Eye twitching.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About sleep.Coles‐Brennan C, Sulley A, Young G.Management of digital eye strain.Clinical and Experimental Optometry. 2018;102(1):18-29. doi:10.1111/cxo.12798Sheppard AL, Wolffsohn JS.Digital eye strain: prevalence, measurement and amelioration.BMJ Open Ophthalmology. 2018;3(1). doi:10.1136/bmjophth-2018-000146American Academy of Ophthalmology.Protect your eyes from too much screen time.American Academy of Ophthalmology.What is an eyelid spasm or twitching eyelid?American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI).Eye (ocular) allergy.Gervasio KA, Moster ML.Managing eyelid and facial spasms.Rev Opthal. 2020;3:66-70.National Health Service (NHS).Twitching Eyes and Muscles.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
American Academy of Ophthalmology.How to Stop Eye Twitching.U.S. National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Eyelid twitch.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Coping with stress.U.S. National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Caffeine.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Eye twitching.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About sleep.Coles‐Brennan C, Sulley A, Young G.Management of digital eye strain.Clinical and Experimental Optometry. 2018;102(1):18-29. doi:10.1111/cxo.12798Sheppard AL, Wolffsohn JS.Digital eye strain: prevalence, measurement and amelioration.BMJ Open Ophthalmology. 2018;3(1). doi:10.1136/bmjophth-2018-000146American Academy of Ophthalmology.Protect your eyes from too much screen time.American Academy of Ophthalmology.What is an eyelid spasm or twitching eyelid?American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI).Eye (ocular) allergy.Gervasio KA, Moster ML.Managing eyelid and facial spasms.Rev Opthal. 2020;3:66-70.National Health Service (NHS).Twitching Eyes and Muscles.
American Academy of Ophthalmology.How to Stop Eye Twitching.
U.S. National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Eyelid twitch.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Coping with stress.
U.S. National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Caffeine.
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Eye twitching.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About sleep.
Coles‐Brennan C, Sulley A, Young G.Management of digital eye strain.Clinical and Experimental Optometry. 2018;102(1):18-29. doi:10.1111/cxo.12798
Sheppard AL, Wolffsohn JS.Digital eye strain: prevalence, measurement and amelioration.BMJ Open Ophthalmology. 2018;3(1). doi:10.1136/bmjophth-2018-000146
American Academy of Ophthalmology.Protect your eyes from too much screen time.
American Academy of Ophthalmology.What is an eyelid spasm or twitching eyelid?
American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI).Eye (ocular) allergy.
Gervasio KA, Moster ML.Managing eyelid and facial spasms.Rev Opthal. 2020;3:66-70.
National Health Service (NHS).Twitching Eyes and Muscles.
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