{"id":1832,"date":"2023-06-14T09:58:35","date_gmt":"2023-06-14T13:58:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.warbyparker.com\/learn\/?p=1832"},"modified":"2026-04-02T03:12:36","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T07:12:36","slug":"eye-twitching","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.stage.warby.io\/learn\/eye-twitching","title":{"rendered":"Why Is My Eye Twitching?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Most of the time, eye twitching is brought on by simple, everyday stressors, such as lack of sleep or stress. But in rare instances (we repeat: rare), eyelid spasms could be a sign of a neurological condition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In this handy guide, we\u2019ll break down some common (and some less common) eye-twitching causes. We\u2019ll also cover how to calm those hyperactive lids and discuss when to see a doctor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Does It Mean When Your Eye Twitches?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">People often say their <em>eye<\/em> is twitching when, in fact, it\u2019s their <em>eyelid<\/em> that\u2019s twitching. But you know what they mean, right? \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When your eye is twitching, it means you\u2019re experiencing involuntary muscle spasms in your eyelid\u2014in other words, it\u2019s something you can\u2019t control. The twitching might occur in the upper or lower eyelid in one or both eyes. It typically feels like a flutter or slight tug of the eyelid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The medical term for the most common type of eye twitching is myokymia. Myokymia most often affects one eye and feels like mild spasms in the eyelid. The spasms may last for seconds or hours. Or they could persist for days or even weeks before going away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Although eyelid spasms, or twitches, can be annoying, they\u2019re usually not serious. However, when you\u2019re dealing with eye twitching for days on end, there might be an underlying issue that needs attention. And in some rare cases, eyelid twitching may be a symptom of a more serious medical condition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Eye Twitching Causes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Most of the time, eye twitches are caused by minor stressors and will likely go away on their own. The most common eye-twitching causes include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Stress&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Lack of sleep<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Certain medications or drugs, such as caffeine<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.stage.warby.io\/learn\/eye-strain-symptoms-and-treatment\">Eye strain<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.stage.warby.io\/learn\/dry-eyes\">Dry eyes<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Rare Causes of Eye Twitching<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In rare cases, eye twitching may be a sign of another condition, such as a nervous system disorder. Here are some examples of conditions that could cause eye twitching:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Bell\u2019s palsy: <\/strong>Bell\u2019s palsy is a neurological disorder that causes paralysis or weakness of the muscles on one side of the face. The disorder comes on suddenly, but is most often temporary, with symptoms improving after a few weeks.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Benign essential <\/strong><strong>blepharospasm<\/strong><strong> (BEB): <\/strong>BEB is a condition that involves more long-term involuntary eye twitching or blinking. It may even cause the eyes to completely close or cause twitches in other facial areas.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Hemifacial spasms: <\/strong>This neuromuscular disorder begins with eye twitching but gradually spreads to muscles of the lower face and eventually to all the muscles on that side of the face.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Multiple sclerosis (MS): <\/strong>MS is a disease that attacks the central nervous system, causing numbness, tingling, pain, or possibly paralysis. This disease can impact the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves. Signs of MS can include cognitive impairment, fatigue, and muscle twitching.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Parkinson\u2019s disease: <\/strong>Parkinson\u2019s is a progressive neurological disease that develops slowly over time and causes involuntary movements, such as tremors, stiffness, and instability.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<\/div><!-- .entry-content (split for inline block) -->\n\n<section class=\"wp-blocks__banner has-img white\">\n\t\t\t<div>\n\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stage.warby.io\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/phoropter-cta.jpg\" alt=\"Twitching won&#039;t quit?\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-blocks__banner-img\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2>Twitching won&#039;t quit?<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t<p>Our expert optometrists can help determine if there&#8217;s more to it than meets the eye<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-blocks-banner__cta-links\" style=\"flex-wrap:wrap;\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.stage.warby.io\/appointments\/eye-exams\/booking\">Book an exam <svg id=\"aa495747-7767-4ea8-bc8e-3e09f9e2a480\" data-name=\"Layer 1\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 5.5 9.5\"><path d=\"M5.49,4.61a.87.87,0,0,1,0,.32.73.73,0,0,1-.2.35l-4,4A.75.75,0,0,1,.22,8.22L3.69,4.75.22,1.28A.75.75,0,0,1,1.28.22l4,4A.75.75,0,0,1,5.49,4.61Z\" style=\"fill:#1050D0;fill-rule:evenodd\"\/><\/svg>\n<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<div class=\"entry-content\"><!-- (reopen for inline block) -->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How To Stop Eye Twitching<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To soothe your eye spasms, consider what might have caused them and address the root problem. For instance:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Cut down on caffeine.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Ensure you\u2019re getting enough sleep.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Limit activities that may be causing eye strain (such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stage.warby.io\/learn\/is-reading-in-the-dark-bad-for-your-eyes\">reading in low light<\/a> or spending <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stage.warby.io\/eyeglasses\/blue-light\">excessive time on digital screens<\/a>).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.stage.warby.io\/learn\/how-to-treat-dry-eyes-at-home\">Soothe dry eyes<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Take a step back from stress, or add stress-reducing activities to your day if your stressors are hard to avoid.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">When To See an Eye Doctor<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If your eyelid spasms don\u2019t go away after a few weeks or they\u2019re accompanied by any kind of discomfort or additional symptoms, then it\u2019s time to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stage.warby.io\/appointments\/eye-exams\/booking\">see an eye doctor<\/a>. Your eye doctor can do a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stage.warby.io\/learn\/what-to-expect-at-an-eye-exam\">comprehensive eye exam<\/a> to check for underlying conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In more persistent cases, a doctor might recommend botulinum toxin injections (also known as Botox).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Just remember: You can take comfort in knowing that eye twitching is, most often, just a temporary nuisance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Most of the time, eye twitching is brought on by simple, everyday stressors, such as lack of sleep or stress. But in rare instances (we repeat: rare), eyelid spasms could be a sign of a neurological condition. In this handy guide, we\u2019ll break down some common (and some less common) eye-twitching causes. We\u2019ll also cover [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":1833,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":true,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1832","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-eye-health"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Why Is My Eye Twitching? | Warby Parker<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Eye twitches can happen for many reasons. Learn about some common eye-twitching causes here.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.stage.warby.io\/learn\/eye-twitching\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why Is My Eye Twitching? | Warby Parker\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Eye twitches can happen for many reasons. Learn about some common eye-twitching causes here.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.stage.warby.io\/learn\/eye-twitching\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Warby Parker\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-06-14T13:58:35+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-02T07:12:36+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.stage.warby.io\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/twitching-eye.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1166\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1166\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Dr. Nehal Verma\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Dr. Nehal Verma\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Why Is My Eye Twitching? | Warby Parker","description":"Eye twitches can happen for many reasons. 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