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A woman tugs at her left bottom eyelid because the twitching lid irritates her!What is eyelid twitch?

An eyelid twitch, also known as “eyelid myokymia” is a common eye condition that is characterized by involuntary contracting, or twitching, of the eyelids.

 

How is eyelid myokymia diagnosed?

Our eye doctors typically diagnose myokymia based on either the patient’s description of the eyelid twitching, or based on our own observations through the biomicroscope.

 

What causes eyelid myokymia?

Onset of eyelid myokymia can be associated with a variety of factors including caffeine intake (too much or too little in relation to the patient’s own particular habits), stress, lack of sleep, or dehydration.

 

How is eyelid myokymia treated?

Typically, eyelid myokymia will self-resolve within a week or two, though if the patient has pronounced symptoms that are particularly irritating, they can try using a topical antihistamine which can act to reduce the symptoms, or hasten the resolution. Topical ophthalmic antihistamines are widely available and are typically used to treat ocular allergies. The mechanism of action for how antihistamines reduce eyelid myokymia is not understood and this method of treatment doesn’t work for all patients.

 

Is treatment a necessity?

Patients generally do not require treatment, and treatment is only initiated if the symptoms are disturbing enough to the patient.

 

Are there any surgical solutions to this disorder?

For those few patients where an eyelid twitch progresses into a full facial twitch, use of Botox may be a reasonable solution. While this treatment is not commonly required for eyelid myokymia, it is available. It is of note that Botox treatments are only temporarily in their effect.

 

If you have a twitching, annoying eyelid, please call our office today at (303) 450-2020 to schedule an appointment. Our doctors will check to be sure you don’t have any contributing factors to the irritation (such as blepharitis or misdirected eyelashes) and offer ways to stop the irritation.

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Vista Eye Care

13695 Colorado Blvd. Thornton, CO 80602
Phone: (303) 450-2020
Fax: (303) 920-1440

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