What makes eyelids twitch?
375647
Well, the question actually asked WHY his eyelids twitched.\n\nThe most common things that make the muscle in your eyelid twitch are fatigue, stress, and caffeine. Once spasms begin, they may continue off and on for a few days. Then, they disappear. Most people experience this type of eyelid twitch on occasion and find it very annoying. In most cases, you won't even notice when the twitch has stopped.\n\nMore severe contractions, where the eyelid completely closes, are possible. These can be caused by irritation of the surface of the eye (cornea) or the membranes lining the eyelids (conjunctiva).\n\nSometimes, the reason your eyelid is twitching cannot be identified. This form of eyelid twitching lasts much longer, is often very uncomfortable, and can also cause your eyelids to close completely.\n\nMore Here:\n\nhttp://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000756.htm\n\nAs for the tingling... there are various reasons:\n\nCommon Causes: \nLocal injury to the nerves under the skin\nLack of blood supply to the area\nPressure on the nerves, caused by the following: \n  Herniated disk\n  Tumor\n  Abscesses\n  Arthritic bones\nToxic action on nerves (such as the effects of lead, alcohol, and tobacco)\nDiabetes and other metabolic abnormalities\nVitamin B12 deficiency\nHypothyroidism\nCarpal tunnel syndrome\nDrugs \n  Chemotherapeutic agents\n  Chloroquine\n  D-penicillamine\n  Isoniazid\n  Nitrofurantoin\n  Parenteral gold therapy\n  Phenytoin\nLong-term radiation\nTransient ischemic attack (TIA)\nStroke\nMultiple sclerosis (a less common cause of numbness)\nSeizures\nMigraine  \n\nhttp://www.shands.org/health/information/article/003206.htm
534277
OMFG! You must have defective eyelids!!! Run...Don't walk...to the kitchen grab a knife and cut those bad boys off. Keep us updated. That is scary sh**!
252974
Adrenaline (epinephrine) causes the pupil to dilate and the upper eyelid to raise a little bit more.  This is considered an evolutionary benefit in the "fight or flight" phenomenon as it helps seeing while you are fighting/running.
456370
Hmmm, could be different things.  \n\nGenerally flashes can be one whole thing.  One way this happens is when blood is rushing out of the head to other parts of the body(Like when someone is about to faint).  Standing up really fast after sitting a long while you can see dots of light floating around like a cartoon character would see stars after getting hit on the head with a mallet.\n\n"Floaters" can be a whole other.  Whenever you stare at bright light, temporarily part of your vision will "turn off" to protect itself.  Then you'll have a little black spot(or a while spot in the dark) floating around like bug.  Sometimes they can be permanent(in extreme cases, like staring at a solar eclipse), but usually for other medical reasons.\n\nThose are just examples, but there are lots of reasons why you can see odd things in your vision.  For example, I have strabismus(crossed eyes).  When an eye tries to jerk to one side really fast I sometimes see a black splotch in my vision for a second.  I've been told that's because the fast jerk is pulling the optic nerve on the back of my eye.  And the splotch is the back of the nerve on the retina(the "movie screen" part of your eye).\n\nWell, these are just examples.  But yea, go see a doctor.  I bet insurance would cover it and you won't lose anything.  Even if you've had this problem for years, it could get worse.  You never know.\n\n(Just if anyone was curious: I did have crossed eyes, but I had surgery to correct it cosmetically.  However, crossed eyes are not caused by the eye muscles being defective but by a lack of control of them.  It is more of a palsy because eye training can't completely "fix" the problem.  Cutting the muscle to weaken them does mask the "jerky" control, thereby giving cosmetically straight eyes.)
219774
Hello,\n\nAs I am sure you know by now, Bell's palsy affects the VII cranial nerve.  That is the nerve that controls the facial musculature, including eye lids.  So the first question is, do you think you have a normal blinking pattern in the affected eye.  Compare it with the normal eye.  If both eyes are tearing, that is less likely due to Bell's as that is a local and thus one-sided process.  Additionally, the facial nerve carries nerve impulses to the lacrimal or tear glands, so it may be at work here, but again that would usually be a one one sided process. \n\nAs far what to do about the tears...manually blink your eye using the back of your finger at regular intervals, and especially when it feels dry.  If blinking is not a problem, or if the tearing continues, I'd see an ophthalmologist.  Hope that helps.
733292
we blink to keep moisture on our eye so it doesn't dry out--when it does start to dry your eye will feel itchy and super uncomfortable--there is some people that can withhold blinking for long periods of times but not "a couple of hours" plus blinking is implusive most of the time meaning that we can't control it our body just does it for us-kinda like breathing\n\nif you found this helpful please select as "best answer" so both me and you get points!
425177
I agree. Stress and/or fatigue.  I get it too.  It is most annoying and sometimes I don't even feel stressed or tired but my eyelid continues to twitch.  It went away while I was on holidays. It's nice to know I have fellow twitchers!
592520
I will sometimes have spasms on my left eye lid.  It is usually due to stress or lack of sleep.
780772
ooh- i have that happen every now and then too. it tells you that you are being deprived of a certain mineral-Vitamin C, for instance. (that may not be it, but it very well could be). the only way to make it stop twitching is to get whole, hearty foods for the next couple of days, making sure to get all of your vitamins and minerals in.
617144
Occasionally, your eye may twitch at random. This involuntary twitching of the eyelid muscle usually lasts less than a minute. But it can be bothersome. The cause of eyelid twitching isn't known. However, it's often associated with fatigue and stress. You may be able to relieve the twitching by gently massaging the affected eyelid.\n\nAn eyelid twitch is usually harmless. Rarely, a twitching eyelid can be a symptom of a muscle or nerve disease. But if that is the case, it's usually accompanied by other symptoms.
742037
Most of the time the "twitching" is caused by fatigue, sleepless nights, eye strain, constant rubbing, tired eyes from computers work, dry eyes, infection, stress, maybe even a hair or eyelash in the eye. Eye strain of many forms can trigger the response. It usually will clear up on its own. There is little that you can do except to moisten the eye, and clear it of any debris and/or get more sleep. \n\nIf the twitching does not stop in a few weeks, consult a Dr. Or if the eyelid does not fully close or if it is closing on its own. There are some serious underlying problems when this occurs.\n\nIt is usually nothing to worry about though, just try to drink plenty of water and get enough rest and sleep! Hope this helps.
426547
Eye twitching is a type of localized muscle spasm called a fasciculation.  It can be a sign of mineral deficiency - especially magnesium, but also calcium and potassium.  Low levels of vitamin B6 (which is necessary for magnesium function) and B1 (which is necessary for energy production) can also be involved.  Even vitamin D deficiency might be a factor.\n\nTry a quality vitamin/mineral supplement.\n\nBest wishes and good luck!
941889
It would be good to give some more informations, like: when do they shake? did u notice if some special situations cause it?  do they shake while you are at rest? Or after exausted day?\nIt would say a lot about what could it be :)\n\nIf you wish to talk to somebody feel free to email me:\nlina_girl06@yahoo.com
61625
These are called "facial tics".\n\n"The cause of transient tic disorder can be physical or psychological. It may be a mild variant of Tourette's syndrome. The child may have facial tics or tics involving movement of the arms, legs, or other areas. Tics appear to get worse with emotional stress and do not occur during sleep."
29044
it could be nervous tics.\n\ni have it happen sometimes.
1168556
most people call that a muscle spasm.  sometimes it could be a neurological problem, but I know a lot of people who have that at times.  Who knows why?  Maybe you were squinting too much and the muscles are tightening on their own now.
408387
The only thing I can think of is stress.  You probably want to go to a doctor to have it checked out though.  I have a similar problem.  My neck twitches and sometimes my back does too.  Another thing is that they only seem to do it when I think about it.  It's hard not to think about it though.  It's really annoying and I hope you get better from it.  Another thing to think about is that I do have an anxiety disorder so sometimes that makes me stressed out to.  Hope you feel better:)