Upper Eyelid Twitching

All of us get twitchy eyelids once in a while. It is an uncontrolled blinking of the eyes. It may occur in any one eye or both the eyes. Medically, it is termed as blepharospasm. Basically, upper eyelid twitching is a harmless condition as long as it comes and goes infrequently. However, if it persists for some days or it recurs quite often then it could be a matter of concern. In some rare cases, it may even lead to total closure of the eyes. This problem is more common in elderly people.

What Causes Upper Eyelid Twitching

Upper eyelid twitching is caused due to involuntary contraction of the muscles of the eyelid and those around it. The exact cause behind the abnormal eye spasm is not clearly known. However, there are certain factors that can contribute towards this sudden closing and reopening of the upper eyelid. Some of the key upper eyelid twitching causes are as follows:

• Tired eyes
• Dry eyes
• Too much of emotional stress
• Excessive consumption of alcohol or caffeine
• Neurological problem
• Nutritional deficiency
• Allergic reaction
• Side effects of medicines
• Injury to the brain

Treatment for Upper Eyelid Twitching

Since the eyelid twitching causes has not yet been ascertained, treatment for the condition is slightly difficult. If any underlying cause is identified during diagnosis, then it is treated with suitable medicines. When no such cause is found, then doctors prescribe various anti-epileptic drugs and some tranquilizers for the purpose of controlling the eyelid muscle twitching. Moisturizing eye drops are given to tackle the problem of dry eyes. In some cases, botox injections are administered into the eyelid in order to stop blinking of the eyes. When these medicines fail to show any results and the patient finds it difficult to keep the eyes open, then doctors opt for surgery. The procedure is known as myectomy where the muscles that are responsible for eyelid function are removed surgically.

Remedies for Upper Eyelid Twitching

When you are facing the problem of eye twitching, then you must take some simple steps to stop eye twitching. If you think you are not sleeping enough in the past few days, then catch up with some sleep at night. Try to increase the number of hours that you are sleeping. Those who are under a lot of stress should learn some relaxation techniques in order to control their mental stress. Cutting back on alcohol and caffeine intake is equally important. While working for long hours in front of computers, take small breaks to prevent eye strain.

Warm compression of the eyelids twice a day is is considered as one of the best eyelid twitching remedies. Dip a washcloth in warm water and place it over the eyelids for a few minutes. Then rub it over the eyelashes. This gives a soothing relief at the same time helps to maintain eyelid hygiene. Eating bananas is one of the most effective eye twitching remedies. This is because bananas are a rich source of potassium which is important to relieve dry eye problem.

There are different types of superstitions associated with twitching eyelid. Those who believe in them have many questions in their mind like, 'why is my upper eyelid twitching', 'upper eyelid twitching what does it mean' and so on. For them, I would like to say that you can afford to ignore the right or left eye twitching superstitions. But do not forget to check out with your doctor the medical reason behind the problem when you are having upper eyelid twitching for weeks together.

Inflammation of the Eye

The eye has a vascular layer whose location falls between the retina of the eye and the white of the eye. This layer consists of the iris, choroid and ciliary body of the eyes. The condition of eye inflammation which is, as mentioned, also known as uveitis has causes associated with injury and autoimmune disorders of the body. These are, however, mere speculations, and the true causes of eye inflammation have not been identified yet. There are various types of uveitis which include anterior uveitis (the iris gets affected), posterior uveitis (the back of the eye is affected), and intermediary uveitis (the vitreous mirror is affected by the inflammation). Three basic aspects of the condition of inflammation of the eye, i.e, symptoms, causes and treatment, would be discussed below, as you continue reading this article further.

Symptoms of Inflammation of the Eye

First we would go through the symptoms which accompany eye inflammation. Common signs and symptoms include blurred vision, hurting eyes due to bright light, pain in the eyes and eye redness. In some extreme cases, affected people can also see floating spots in their field of vision. Decreased vision may also be a repercussion, and the occurrence of white area inside the lower part of the iris, could also be one of the symptoms which may accompany an inflamed eye.

Causes of Inflammation of the Eye

As has been cited earlier, no specific causes have been determined for this condition. However, in some people, uveitis was found to be related with injury to the eyes, or certain kinds of cancer. Rheumatoid arthritis or ankylosing spondylitis are a class of autoimmune disorders, and even they have been found to contribute in the development of this condition we are speaking about. Then, herpes, tuberculosis, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, could also be the responsible factors. The cat-scratch disease is an infection and so is toxoplasmosis. These two conditions also come under the list of the possible causes of uveitis.

Treatment for Inflammation of the Eye

The focus of the treatment is to detect the underlying condition of the inflammation and deal with it as soon as possible, to reduce the severity of the symptoms. Patients might be given corticosteroid eye drops to deal with the inflammation. Patients may also be prescribed medication in the form of pill or injection to the eye. For some people with posterior uveitis, the treatment may not come so easy. For them, a device is planted in the eye. It works by releasing corticosteroid medicine with a slow pace, and for about 2 ½ years.

If the cause is some eye infection caused by a bacteria or a virus, then antibiotics or antiviral medication, would be involved in the treatment for the inflammation of the eye. These medications may, or may not, be administered with a corticosteroid one. If corticosteroids are of no help for eye inflammation, then patients are given immunosuppressive or cytotoxic agents. These help in preventing the eye problem from worsening to vision loss.

The option of surgical methods is reserved as the last option in the treatment for inflammation of the eye. The procedure is taken up to remove some part of the vitreous in the eye. It also aids in getting rid of any kind of scar tissue in the vitreous. As a closing note, this condition has chances of recurring. This makes it important for the patient to seek medical care, if the symptoms reappear even after successful treatment.