Taking care of eye twitches
November 25, 2008
Also known as blepharospasm, eye twitches can be extremely irritating. Though generally harmless, they make the affected person uncomfortable. Eye twitch is caused by the involuntary movement of the eyelid muscles. They occur with out a definite pattern and might last to a maximum of few days. Since they do not have any enduring side effects, twitches are not treated surgically. In most cases, eye twitches disappear on their own, without providing any particular treatment. Some people tend to confuse this disorder with Nystagmus, which is the complete jerking of the entire eye.
A variety of factors can contribute to eye twitches. The reasons can be classified as environmental, physiological and also psychological. Some of the common causes include severe fatigue or lack of sleep, addiction to caffeine, physical and mental stress, excessive anxiety or phobias, some neurological irregularity that result in brain disorders, extended eye strain, epilepsy etc. In some cases, eye twitches will be accompanied by fever.
Intensified eye twitches that develop into Hemifacial Spasms demand medical attention. In that case, the entire side of the face will be affected and eating and speaking will be made difficult. Twitches increase in intensity at a rapid pace and will spread to other parts of the face as well within no time. Sometimes, eye twitches also result in severe contractions that make the eye shut continuously for an extended period. Such irregularities are generally caused either by corneal or conjunctival (membrane muscles) irritations. Other symptoms that should be brought under an ophthalmologist’s treatment include reddened and swollen eyes, sensitivity to light, blurred vision, watery discharge etc. If the twitches do not disappear on its own within a week’s time, then the irregularity should not be considered as a trivial one. Even if no other symptoms appear, the affected person should be taken to an eye specialist.

































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