My eye is alive

December 30, 2007 7:44 PM

My eye is alive! My left eye won't stop twitching, specifically the area nearest my temple. I wouldn't post asking how to "cure" this, but it's been twitching for months! I tried massaging the area... help me kill this!
posted by princeofpersiaxz to Health & Fitness (17 answers total)

Is it consistent? I go through periods where I'm overstressed and not getting a lot of sleep and my eye twitches up to several times per day. Sometimes it's accompanied by a twitch of my pinky too.

I generally just wait for it to stop. What you really should do is see a doctor, especially if you haven't noticed any pattern to it.
posted by cmgonzalez at 7:56 PM on December 30, 2007

Try warm compresses. Take a washcloth, soak in warm water etc. I used to have these too, but they eventually went away. If you're noticing nausea along with the twitching however I'd definitely consult a doc.
posted by samsara at 8:04 PM on December 30, 2007

My eye twitches when I'm under a lot of stress. YMMV
posted by 0xFCAF at 8:05 PM on December 30, 2007

Agree with jamaro, probably a vitamin deficiency of some kind. Take a multivitamin with minerals.
posted by Riverine at 8:15 PM on December 30, 2007

When I have had prolonged periods (ie more than several weeks) of insufficient sleep, too much stress and too much coffee, I developed a twitch in my lower eyelid. As soon as I improved my situation, it went away.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 8:30 PM on December 30, 2007

Purely anecdotal: my sister had this for a few weeks, did some research and found that excess vitamin C can cause this symptom (it causes artery expansion and is actually used by athletes for this reason, but this expansion can also compress neighboring nerves). She stopped taking C supplements and the twitching went away. Tried taking them again as an experiment, symptoms came back. Stopped, symptoms stopped.
posted by bwanabetty at 8:38 PM on December 30, 2007

Are you on any medication? Some SSRIs can cause muscle twitches.
posted by infinitewindow at 8:56 PM on December 30, 2007

I get exactly this, and I nailed it down to too much caffeine (which was just as much as 4 cups of coffee instead of my usual 1-2) during stressful periods.
posted by Kickstart70 at 9:02 PM on December 30, 2007

Previously and here.
posted by b33j at 9:52 PM on December 30, 2007

cut out the caffeine, get lots of sleep, stay away from the internet all weekend - and no computer/device games either, no tv. go outside for a walk or run. rest your eyes on some scenery - your favourite corner of forest, an open ocean, whatever floats your boat.

but relax ...rest your eyes ...and the twitch will soon be gone.
posted by seawallrunner at 10:17 PM on December 30, 2007 [1 favorite]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benign_fasciculation_syndrome
posted by fire&wings at 2:32 AM on December 31, 2007

I'm another eye gets twitchy sometimes when I'm under stress... Eliminate the causes of the stress and it goes away again (well that works for me... I did a bit of research a while ago about it and its' a real YMMV thing)
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 4:10 AM on December 31, 2007

I'll second the possibility of stress. During an especially rough semester at school, my right eye started twitching, and didn't stop for about two months. What made it go away? I met with my advisor, came up with a study plan, mapped out my next semester's schedule, etc - basically, I moved from a place where I was terrified about possibly having to drop out of school to a place where I was confident that things were going to turn out okay. The stress of the bad semester vanished, and the twitching stopped almost immediately.

I'm sure it could be many other things, but if you have any major worries in your life right now, I'd consider those a possible cause.
posted by mjgrady at 4:34 AM on December 31, 2007

Do you mean around the eye, or the actual eyeball beating back and forth. If the pupil is slowly drifting to one side then rapidly jerking back to the midline, that should be checked out ASAP.
posted by a robot made out of meat at 5:51 AM on December 31, 2007

I got this condition after months of 16-hour shifts in Alaska. It's sleep deprivation.
posted by toastchee at 7:08 AM on December 31, 2007

Your problem is probably related to stress and bad eating habits. The same thing happened to me last year and it went on for 3 months. My doctor recommended doubling up on my B vitamins. Particulary B6, B9, B12. Once I started taking the vitamins the problem went away withing 48 hours.

Good Luck :)
posted by greenspice at 12:19 PM on December 31, 2007

Hypomania can manifest as motor neural dysregulation or psychomotor agitation accompanied with exaggerated and grandiose religiosity.
posted by meehawl at 8:51 AM on March 4, 2008 [1 favorite]