Experts think facial nerve irritation causes hemifacial spasms.
Experts estimate that between 20,000 and 50,000 Americans have essential blepharospasm and their eyelid twitches are chronic and don’t go away. Blepharospasm is sometimes linked to a problem in a part of your brain called the basal ganglia, which can rarely be inherited. Blepharospasm : A nervous system condition that causes increased blinking and involuntary closing of both eyes.Medical conditions that can cause your eye (whether one or both) to twitch include: But why eyes twitch and what you can do to stop them are questions we all ask ourselves. Thankfully, they usually stop on their own. But in some cases, it can be a serious inconvenience or downright annoying, like when you’re driving home from work or sitting in a meeting. While it is generally successful, it is a major neurosurgical operation and serious complications are possible.Eyelid twitching isn’t typically a sign of anything serious. A neurosurgical procedure for hemifacial spasm, microvascular decompression, also can relieve the facial spasms. Surgery to remove the involved muscles is occasionally needed in addition to botulinum toxin therapy.īotulinum toxin injections can relieve the eyelid and facial spasms in patients with hemifacial spasm. Side effects typically last 1 to 2 weeks while the good effects last 3 months. On rare occasions when side effects occur, they include drooping of the eyelids or double vision. The treatment is very successful with few side effects. The injection works for several months but will slowly wear off and usually needs to be repeated 3 to 4 times each year. Injection of botulinum toxin in very small quantities into the muscles around the eyes will stop the spasm. Botulinum toxin injections are now the most commonly recommended treatment for blepharospasm. Medications and biofeedback are rarely successful in managing blepharospasm. Some ophthalmologists recommend reducing caffeine usage.īlepharospasm can be treated with medications, biofeedback, injection of botulinum toxin, and surgery. Reducing stress, using warm soaks, correction of any refractive error, and lubrication of the eye with artificial tears may help. Minor eyelid twitches require no treatment as they usually resolve spontaneously. Rarely, hemifacial spasm is caused by a tumor pressing on the facial nerve, found with MRI testing. These conditions are distinguished by a careful clinical examination. The cause of hemifacial spasm is thought to be an abnormality in the nerve to the facial muscles, which causes the face to twitch.Įssential blepharospasm usually occurs more commonly in females and at a later age.The cause of essential blepharospasm is almost never a psychiatric disease. The essential blepharospasm is a focal dystonia, or abnormal movement, produced by the part of the brain controlling movement.The cause of minor eyelid twitch is unknown.
However, if you experience one or more of these symptoms, contact your ophthalmologist for a complete exam. The symptoms described above may not necessarily mean that you have eyelid spasms. Essential blepharospasm is rare but very troublesome and often incapacitating.Ī condition that involves involuntary closure of the eye along with muscles in the cheek, mouth, and neck, but on only one side of the face. When these spasms occur, the involuntary eyelid closure may cause a temporary inability to see. In some cases of essential blepharospasm, muscles of the mouth or neck also are involved. This can be associated with lack of sleep, stress, or excess caffeine.Īn involuntary condition involving both eyes which starts as an increased blink rate and eventually leads to closing of the eyelids as well as squeezing of the muscles around the eyes. Typically a unilateral slight spasm of your lower or upper eyelid, or occasionally both eyelids, is common, of no concern, and usually resolves in a few days. The three most common types of eyelid spasms are eyelid twitch, essential blepharospasm, and hemifacial spasm.
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