Twitching under the eye: causes and treatment in adults, diagnosis

What's twitching under your eye?

Often a person becomes anxious. He does not understand why this unpleasant sensation arises. What can twitch, a muscle, some vein pulsate, or this is how damage to the facial nerve manifests itself.

Muscle (myokymia)

One of the reasons for the twitching sensation under the eye is myokymia. This pathological condition includes various short-term twitching muscles of the lower eyelid. The orbicularis oculi muscle, which lies deep in the eyelids, is to blame for the appearance of these contractions.

For various reasons, involuntary short-term, uncontrolled contractions and spasms occur. They appear suddenly, paroxysmally. Lasts from a second to several minutes.

Attacks of twitching may go away on their own or may drag on for weeks, even months. This condition requires careful diagnosis and subsequent treatment.

Facial nerve

The idea that a nerve twitches is wrong.

IMPORTANT! He is unable to make any movements. A disturbance in the transmission of nerve impulses occurs, due to which the orbicularis oculi muscle, innervated by a branch of the facial nerve, contracts randomly. There are a huge number of nerve endings in the area around the eye. They are affected quite often. This pathology is called a nervous tic.

Vein

The feeling of a vein pulsating under the eye is not associated with the vein itself. There is no pulsating blood flow in it. Such sensations are associated with pathological contraction of the facial muscles if their innervation is disrupted. If muscle twitching is rhythmic, people usually think that some kind of vessel is pulsating. Veins are visible under the thin skin of the eyelids, and the patient assumes that they are bothering them.

Reviews

The nervous tic arose due to chronic fatigue. The neurologist recommended Afobazole and valerian. In addition, I had a relaxing massage and drank Magne-B6. Nervous tics after treatment do not bother me.

Vera, 35 years old.

I read on one forum that for eyelid twitching you need to put the pads of your thumb and index finger together and massage the inner corner of your eye and temples. I tried it, oddly enough, it helped.

Alina, 24 years old.

This went on for 4 months and I was terribly scared. At first 1 eye twitched. Then the second one started. The neurologist prescribed Phenibut and Pantogam. I drank for a month and it all went away.

Svetlana, 39 years old.

There were a lot of worries after marriage; we live with my husband’s parents. I keep waking up at night. First 1 eye began to twitch, and now 2 at once. And most importantly, almost without stopping! Even without a doctor, it’s clear that it’s all because of nerves. Magnesium B6 helped me a lot, I took it for 3 months.

Anna, 21 years old.

And specifically acupuncture and Glycine helped me. Albina, 27 years old

It went away for me after I started to sleep and sit at the computer less! Yes, my eyelid wouldn’t stop twitching either. I drink tinctures of hawthorn and rosehip in courses.

Gennady, 30 years old.

The eye twitches and it seems that everyone around is looking at it. I drank glycine and started sleeping more. It's all gone. Keep your nerves in order.

Svetlana, 39 years old.

What can cause the skin near the eye to pulsate?

The sensation of pulsation under the eye occurs for many reasons. This could be a sign of simple fatigue or a symptom of a serious illness. When it’s short-term, it’s okay, there’s no point in worrying. If this condition drags on for a long time, you need to consult a doctor to look for its cause.

General fatigue

General fatigue is a fairly common cause of twitching of the lower eyelid.

This is facilitated by:

constant lack of sleep,
overwork,
busy schedule at work,
hard labour,
physical stress,
constant eye strain at the computer,
violation of the work and rest regime.

In all such cases, periodically occurring twitching is relieved by sleep, long rest, or going on vacation.

The result of stress and neuropsychological tension

Twitching is often observed during prolonged stress, being in traumatic situations, or neuropsychic overstrain. In conditions of instability of the nervous system, there is an imbalance in the production of neurotransmitters in the brain.

This disrupts the balance of excitation and inhibition processes in the nervous system. This affects the transmission of impulses in the nerve fiber. Excitation is randomly transmitted along the fiber, causing uncontrolled muscle contractions. The small muscles of the face are the first to suffer.

These processes develop under the influence of the following situations:

neuropsychic stress (problems at work, lack of mutual understanding with a partner),
psychological trauma (moving, serious illness, death of close relatives),
a reminder of a past nervous shock.

In most cases, after these events have passed, the twitching goes away on its own. Otherwise, treatment with a psychotherapist is required.

Eye diseases

Any infectious eye disease leads to constant irritation of the conjunctival sac. This leads to pathological pulsation in the nerve endings of nearby muscles. They start to twitch.

This symptom occurs with the following diseases:

Conjunctivitis - with this pathology, inflammation and overirritation of the conjunctiva of the eye occurs, a feeling of sand in the eye. A person begins to squint from the bright light, which causes twitching of the small muscles in this area.
Blepharitis is an inflammation of the eyelids, which also causes twitching due to inflammation and irritation, accompanied by redness and itching. It can persist even after the inflammatory process has healed.
Infection of the eyeball with helminths can occur through direct contact, or they migrate from other organs through the hematogenous route. Muscle twitching is accompanied by itching, redness, and a sensation of movement in the eyeball. Muscle twitching can occur with helminthic infestations in other organs. It is caused by the toxic effects of parasite waste products on the subcortical ganglia in the brain.

IMPORTANT! Infections and invasions of the eyes must be treated by an ophthalmologist, parasitologist, or infectious disease specialist. But even after healing, reflex twitching may still persist for some time. They can be provoked by eye strain or bright light.

Nervous system diseases

Twitching of the eyelid in neurological pathologies develops due to dysregulation in the structures of the autonomic nervous system, subcortical formations of the brain, disruption of the production of neurotransmitters in the corresponding areas of the brain, and inflammatory diseases.

In all these conditions, the processes of neurosynaptic transmission of impulses in the nerve endings of the muscles are disrupted. Because of this, erratic muscle contractions and a violation of their tone occur. These processes can be isolated at the initial stages. They manifest themselves as twitching of the eyelids. The process in its etiology can be primary and secondary, that is, develop against the background of brain diseases.

IMPORTANT! Twitching can be an initial symptom of serious diseases, such as brain tumors and acute cerebrovascular accidents.

Muscles may twitch with the following neurological diseases:

Dystonia is a type of disorder of motor functions of limited muscle groups. They are manifested by twitching, spasms and convulsions of various muscle groups. Isolated eyelid twitching is a symptom of focal dystonia. It is characterized by muscle twitching in a limited area. Its cause is considered to be a dysfunction of the subcortical basal ganglia; it occurs for many reasons (consequences of trauma, neuroinfections, vascular disorders),
Bell's palsy is a type of neuritis of the facial nerve, caused by inflammation or swelling. Its development is provoked by a viral infection or autoimmune pathologies. It begins suddenly against the background of complete health. Twitching of the muscles of the lower eyelid may be the initial sign of this disease. It is accompanied by numbness of half the face and pain in the behind-the-ear area. As it progresses, unilateral paralysis of the facial muscles occurs, approximately two days after the onset of the first symptoms. The facial muscles sag on one side, the eyes do not close. On the affected side, all folds and wrinkles are smoothed out.
Meningitis - muscle twitching occurs after suffering from this disease. It can last for a long time. This is due to damage to the subcortical ganglia and cranial nerves that innervate the muscles responsible for the movement of the eyeballs and facial muscles.
Parkinson's syndrome is a cause of eyelid twitching in older people, usually occurring after fifty years of age. This pathology is more typical for women. It can be one-sided or two-sided. Muscle twitching is often combined with spasms of the muscles of the face and limbs. The reason for its appearance is a decrease in the production of the neurotransmitter dopamine in the subcortical structures of the brain.
Epilepsy - with this disease, twitching of the eyelids with blinking of eyelashes develops, combined with absence seizures (loss of consciousness with the same motor disturbances individual to the patient, abduction to the top of the head and eyeballs). This condition is called Jeavons syndrome. Attacks may be accompanied by squinting, movements of the corners of the mouth, and the wings of the nose. When conducting electroencephalography, pathological brain activity is detected.

All neurological diseases that cause twitching on the face require serious treatment and observation by a neurologist. In this case, you cannot self-medicate.

Endocrine system diseases

With diseases of the endocrine system, symptoms of damage to the muscles of the eye area with their twitching also appear.

These are the following diseases:

Thyrotoxicosis , with this pathology, the tone of the eye muscles increases. Along with muscle twitching, exophthalmos (protrusion of the eyes) and swelling of the eyelids are observed. It is also difficult to move the eyeballs. It is difficult for the patient to fix his gaze on objects, the skin around the eye darkens.
In diabetes mellitus, pathology of the oculomotor nerves often develops, which is accompanied by twitching of the muscles innervated by them. These include the orbicularis oculi muscle. This disease causes inflammation of the eyes, cataracts, and glaucoma.
Endocrine myopathy in hypothyroidism - the disease debuts with double vision and twitching of the eyelids. In the later stages of the disease, fibrosis of muscle tissue develops.

If an endocrine pathology is detected in a patient in combination with eyelid twitching and other eye symptoms, treatment should begin with the underlying endocrine disease.

Bad habits

Bad habits and an unhealthy lifestyle contribute to the appearance of pathological muscle contractions.

Here are some of them that have a greater influence on the development of this symptom:

Excessive alcohol consumption - ethyl alcohol has a toxic effect on nerve endings. If abused, it can disrupt muscle innervation. Pathological muscle contractions appear. Alcohol interferes with the absorption of vitamin B12, which is responsible for the synthesis of the nerve fiber sheath through which the nerve impulse travels. This contributes to the appearance of pathological muscle twitching in the eyelid area.
Abuse of coffee, tea, energy drinks with caffeine - all drinks containing large quantities of caffeine can cause twitching if consumed excessively. It causes hyperstimulation of nerve endings and accelerates the conduction of nerve impulses.
Smoking has a negative effect on the muscles surrounding the eye socket, reducing their tone and disrupting their metabolism. Muscles can respond to poor conditions with pathological contractions.
Poor nutrition – if there are errors in the diet, the body does not receive the required amounts of vitamins responsible for transmitting impulses through the nervous tissue (B12, B6, B1) and microelements (magnesium, calcium). Its transmission to the muscles is disrupted, and pathological contractions occur.

IMPORTANT! If a person has bad habits and eyelid twitching occurs. First of all, you need to give them up and reconsider your diet.

Possible reasons

The leading factor in the appearance of tics is neuropsychic fatigue or irritation. In children 5-7 years old, this is due to imperfections in the psyche, when it overreacts to any irritation. This could be regular conflicts in the family between parents, or their poor attitude towards the child himself. This tick will be considered primary. In secondary cases, it becomes one of the symptoms of another disease.

So, the main reasons:

The leading causes of tics are overwork, lack of sleep, workaholism and lack of rest. Overwork leads to the fact that even everyday duties turn into stress for a person.
Poor nutrition, in particular, lack of magnesium, calcium, glycine and vitamins.
Prolonged visual stress, for example, watching TV for a long time or working at a computer without rest for a number of hours, reading books in dim lighting.
Allergic reactions in which histamine is released. This substance has been proven to cause muscle spasms.
Tendency to abuse coffee and other caffeinated drinks.
Previous viral infections such as ARVI are a tic in this case, a type of response of the nervous system to an infection.
Irritation of the sclera of the eyes due to prolonged use of contact lenses, contact of a foreign object or dirt in the eyes.
Poor heredity - tic can manifest itself in both parents and children. Hereditary disorders of this type include Tourette's syndrome.
Head injuries.
Frostbite or injury to the facial nerve or its branches.
Knowledge workers have intense mental stress, severe physical fatigue as a result of jet lag - working night shifts, lack of sleep, overwork.
Taking certain medications to improve performance.
In children, childhood nervousness is a common cause.
When the mucous membrane of the eyeball is overworked, the facial muscles in the eyelid area may contract symptomatically.

Twitching of the eyelid muscles is an early signal from the nervous system about disruptions in its functioning. When stabilized, the tic goes away.

Manifestation of tic

According to medical classification, tic of the lower eyelid belongs to hyperkinesis. It consists of serial muscle spasms that are felt by the patient as twitching. Thyroid hyperkinesis can be localized or generalized.

Limited tics may not show up other than a slight twitching of the lower eyelid. Generalized tics have pronounced clinical manifestations; twitching under the eye is accompanied by numerous symptoms.

Symptoms manifest themselves as follows:

coughing,
contraction of facial muscles,
grunting,
spontaneous movements of the tongue
muscle tremors,
shouting, repetition of individual sounds or words,
muscle contractions of the limbs,
involuntary display of obscene gestures,
repetition of words spoken by the interlocutor against the will of the patient.

A distinctive feature of all these signs is that a person is not able to control them. When trying to cope with this, the symptoms intensify.

Dangerous symptoms

Tics can manifest themselves not only as harmless twitching under the eye; sometimes tic hyperkinesis can manifest itself as quite dangerous symptoms.

They may be as follows:

muscle twitching affects the right ventricle of the heart, this is manifested by severe tachycardia, in some cases leading to myocardial infarction,
tics may occur in the limbs, accompanied by a slowly increasing spasm and a decrease in their tone, the patient loses the ability to move,
sometimes hyperkinesis can increase, be accompanied by epileptic seizures with loss of consciousness, and myoclonic epilepsy develops.

IMPORTANT! The development of these life-threatening conditions requires immediate medical attention.

Diagnostics

Diagnosis of hyperkinetic states is not difficult, as it has characteristic symptoms. Additional methods are carried out to identify the cause of these conditions.

Which doctor should I contact?

Since most tics are symptoms of damage to the central nervous system, you should first consult a neurologist. The neurologist questions the patient about what manifestations of the disease he has, when they occurred, and conducts a neurological examination. During its manifestation, the doctor identifies signs of disruption of the central nervous system.

If the doctor considers that the tics are not neurological in nature, he will refer the patient to other specialists (endocrinologist, psychotherapist) for further diagnosis and treatment.

Laboratory diagnostics

To clarify the nature of the disease, the doctor prescribes tests.

In this case, the standard ones are:

general blood analysis,
biochemical blood test,
blood for sugar
determining the level of glycosylated hemoglobin in the blood,
blood for antibodies to helminths,
studies of thyroid hormone concentrations,
determination of the level of cerulloplasmin in the blood.

All these studies are prescribed for differential diagnosis with various inflammatory pathologies, helminthiases, thyroid diseases, and diabetes mellitus.

Instrumental examination

To identify diseases of the nervous system that lead to tics on the face and eyelids, instrumental examinations are performed.

The following diagnostic methods are used:

electroencephalography – carried out to record electrical potentials of the brain, identify foci of pathological excitation to identify epilepsy,
electroneuromyography – helps to determine the type and cause of neuromuscular transmission disorders, determine its defects in the nerve fiber, for differential diagnosis with a group of neuromuscular diseases,
computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging - help to identify vascular tumor and degenerative processes in the brain substance that are responsible for the appearance of tics,
Duplex scanning of cerebral vessels - carried out to search for disturbances in blood flow through the vessels of this organ if the vascular nature of tics is suspected,
Determination of visual evoked potentials helps to identify neurodegenerative brain diseases accompanied by the occurrence of tics.

For consultation, the patient is referred to a psychotherapist, infectious disease specialist, traumatologist, oncologist and endocrinologist if there is a suspicion of the corresponding nature of these muscle twitches.

Reasons to see a doctor urgently

You should consult a doctor immediately if:

twitching does not stop for more than 10 days;
decreased vision;
pain appeared;
the tic is growing;
contractions of other facial muscles join.

Dangerous symptoms

Separately, more serious causes and dangerous symptoms should be noted:

weakness after surgery or difficult childbirth;
infectious diseases suffered in the recent past;
traumatic brain injuries;
pathologies of the optic nerve and its branches;
diabetes;
Tourette's syndrome (genetic predisposition);
meningitis;
neuroses.

Which doctor should I contact?

If the cause of contractions of the facial muscles lies in eye pathology, contact should begin with an ophthalmologist. For nervous disorders and eye tics, a neurologist will provide assistance within several weeks. Psycho-emotional overload requires contacting a psychotherapist.

Primary tics are treated by stimulating the nervous system, while secondary tics are treated by combating underlying pathologies. You may also need to consult an endocrinologist, pediatrician, therapist, psychiatrist, infectious disease specialist, etc.

Survey

After collecting complaints and anamnesis, a neurologist conducts an examination of the nervous system with reflexometry and testing to identify muscle tone. Sometimes additional diagnostics may be required:

general blood analysis;
examination for the presence of helminths;
ionogram.

Instrumental studies are rare. Prescribed only if there is a suspicion of brain pathologies such as Bell's syndrome or Parkinson's disease. Among them:

X-ray of the skull;
electroencephalography;
tomography;
MRI of the brain.

If necessary, consultations with narrow specialists are scheduled and their opinions are provided. Only after confirming the diagnosis, the doctor establishes a treatment plan.

What do doctors prescribe in such cases?

For tics, the following groups of medications are prescribed:

First of all, sedatives are prescribed: tincture of valerian and motherwort, Novo-passit, Persen, St. John's wort herb, bromine-based drugs, Dormiplant tablets, Afobazol, Glycine, Tenoten.
- small doses of Haloperidol, Thioridazine - can help
Tranquilizers - Phenazepam, Bromazepam, Hydroxyzine, etc.
For children - herbal infusions, Hare syrup; For children, homeopathic remedies Kindinorm, Valerianahel drops. After 6 years, Shalun granules, Babysed, Citral.

With tics of secondary origin, treatment of the underlying disease becomes the main goal. Psychotherapy, injection of Botox to paralyze facial muscles, acupuncture, relaxing massage, electrosleep, herbal medicine can be used.

Useful video

The easiest way to stop a nervous eye tic:

What to do?

Ophthalmologist of the highest category. Candidate of Medical Sciences.

If a serious disease is detected, manifested by twitching of the lower eyelid and other symptoms, treatment must be started immediately. Follow all instructions and recommendations prescribed by the attending physician. If no serious pathologies are identified, the patient should reconsider his lifestyle, get enough rest, adhere to a balanced diet, normalize sleep, and avoid traumatic situations.

First aid

The resulting twitching of the eyelid causes unpleasant sensations and significant inconvenience to the person.

The following actions will help to interrupt an attack of blepharospasm:

you need to close your eyes tightly, then open your eyes wide, repeat until the twitching stops,
With clean hands, lightly massage the eyelids in a gentle circular motion for three seconds, after a while the procedure can be repeated,
intense rhythmic blinking for thirty seconds, alternating in several stages with rest,
close your eyelids halfway, concentrate, stopping the trembling,
close your eyes and then, without opening them, close and unclench your eyelids,
Alternately rinsing the eyes with hot and cold water helps

These activities will allow you to relax the muscles of the eyelids and improve blood circulation in them. They promote uniform distribution of tear fluid and moisturize the eyeball. It is necessary to take a break from work and take a break from the computer.

Changing habits

To prevent functional eyelid twitching, a person must change their habits.

To do this, it is recommended to do:

the patient needs adequate sleep, sleep at least eight hours a day,
you need to balance the diet so that it contains physiological norms of microelements, vitamins, nutrients,
exclude strong tea, coffee, alcoholic drinks,
take herbal infusions that help normalize the functioning of the nervous system and have a calming effect (motherwort, mint, valerian, lemon balm hop cones),
wear sunglasses outside to protect against ultraviolet radiation,
If possible, it is necessary to reduce the time spent at the computer,
reduce time spent in front of TV,
alternate work with rest,
periodically do exercises aimed at relaxing the eyes and eyelid muscles,
avoid psycho-emotional stress and physical stress,
control stress.

All these measures will help remove the causes that are responsible for the occurrence of tics.

Gymnastics for the eye muscles

The goal of gymnastics for the eyelids and eyes is to train the muscles to relax them and improve blood flow in the tissues. It is important to perform the exercises in a calm and relaxing environment, allowing you to concentrate on your actions.

In between work, in order to rest your eyes, you need to do the following:

place warm fingers on top of closed eyelids, relax as much as possible slowly and breathe deeply for two minutes,
close your eyes and perform slow movements with your eyes, as if drawing various figures, perform the exercises for five minutes,
to perform the next exercise, you need to go to the window, first fix your gaze on the objects standing on the window, then move it to distant objects beyond the horizon,
turn off the light, light a candle, stand at a distance of forty centimeters from it and look at the flame, now focusing and then unfocusing your gaze.

It is recommended to perform these exercises for at least a month to get results.

Drug therapy

To treat tics, drugs are prescribed that have a regulating effect on the processes occurring in the nervous system and on the psycho-emotional state of the patient.

Sedatives are used to treat primary tics.

These include the following drugs:

Novo-Passit - the drug calms, normalizes sleep, reduces anxiety,
Motherwort tincture – has an anticonvulsant and sedative effect,
Valerian root tincture – has a calming and hypnotic effect.

These herbal preparations are used for a long time. If they do not help, antipsychotics, tranquilizers and calcium supplements are prescribed. These drugs are used in the treatment of secondary tics.

For this purpose, the following means are used:

Phenazepam – has an anti-anxiety effect, reduces the rate of neuromuscular transmission, has a hypnotic effect,
Haloperidol – reduces activity in the extrapyramidal system and calms,
Thioridazine - reduces the speed of impulses in subcortical structures, and reduces thyroid manifestations, has an anti-anxiety effect, calms the patient,
Fluoxetine – has a calming anti-anxiety effect.

IMPORTANT! The drugs are intended for long-term use. Only the doctor prescribes them and selects the dosage of the treatments. If there is no effect from drug therapy, then you can also use Botox therapy by injecting colas directly into the affected muscle.

Taking vitamins

If a patient experiences involuntary twitching of the eyelids, he needs to take vitamins that nourish nerve fibers (B1, B6, B12), as well as vitamin C, which strengthens the walls of blood vessels and improves blood circulation in the muscles.

The patient still needs to take microelements (magnesium and calcium), which improve neuromuscular transmission. The patient needs to drink multivitamin complexes containing these substances in increased quantities (Neuromultivit and B complex).

Homeopathic treatment

It is believed to give good results for tics. It has a complex effect and safety for the patient. They are made based on natural products and do not cause allergies.

The following means are used:

Hyosceamus – reduces the severity of involuntary muscle twitching on the face,
Argentum natricum , used in the treatment of tics on the face in combination with muscle twitching in the arms and legs,
Hemlock - used for twitching of facial muscles in combination with twitching of the head,
Argaricus muscarius – used for combined twitching of the eyelids and lips, complicated by generalized convulsions,
Aluminum is used for unilateral facial twitching.

For treatment, one pea of the product is dissolved in a glass of water and applied in a dosage of one teaspoon per day once.