It has happened to many of us. While in the middle of work, a study session or just spending time with friends, your eyelid flutters for no apparent reason.
At first, it may be nothing more than a subtle quiver, but sometimes it becomes bothersome enough you can’t ignore it anymore. Some people experiencing it feel self-conscious and wonder if something more serious is going on.
The good news is that eye twitches are surprisingly common, usually harmless and more often than not resolve on their own. Still, they can be persistent and distracting enough to raise concern. They may even signal an underlying condition.
Here’s how common eye twitching really is, what causes it and how to stop it once it starts.
“While there are different things that could be considered eye twitching, most of the time people are referring to eyelid myokymia,” says Dr. Heather Moss, a neuro-ophthalmologist at the Byers Eye Institute at Stanford. She explains that "eyelid myokymia is tiny twitching of the muscles in one lid of one eye at a time.” Usually, such twitching is periodic, self-limited and lasts only seconds. But occasionally, it can persist on and off for minutes or even hours. Sometimes the contractions become chronic and continue for several days or even a few weeks before resolving.
