Why does my left eye keep twitching?

Although the saying among the common people that "left eye twitching means good fortune, right eye twitching means disaster" has long been proven by modern medicine to have no scientific basis, many people, especially in rural areas, still believe in this idea, which ultimately delays the diagnosis and treatment of the disease. Some people mistakenly treat the eyelid twitching that occurs as a sequela of facial paralysis as spasm, but the condition does not improve after repeated treatments. Let’s take a look at how medicine explains the phenomenon of eyelid twitching.

1. What is eyelid tremor

Medically speaking, the scientific name for eyelid twitching is "eyelid tremor", which is mainly caused by the repeated contraction of a very thin muscle in the eyelid - the orbicularis oculi muscle. In medicine, the eyelid is called the eyelid twitching. There are two kinds of eyelid muscles. One is called the orbicularis oculi muscle, which is shaped like a wheel and surrounds the eye. When it contracts, the eyelid closes; the other muscle is called the levator palpebrae superioris muscle, and when it contracts, the eye opens. The constant contraction and relaxation of these two muscles allows the eyes to open and close. If the nerves that control these two muscles are stimulated by certain factors, the two muscles will be excited at the same time, causing repeated contractions, even spasms or tremors, and the eyelids will twitch involuntarily.

1. There are two reasons for eyelid twitching : one is due to lack of rest and sleep, or due to anemia, excessive smoking and drinking; the other is due to eye diseases, such as myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism, conjunctivitis, keratitis, etc.

   4. Treatment of eyelid twitching Eyelid twitching can be divided into two types: physiological and pathological. Physiological eyelid twitching does not require treatment. Many people have experienced physiological eyelid twitching. The attack is transient and short, often only a few seconds, and the degree of twitching is not serious. This type of eyelid twitching generally does not require special treatment. Just close your eyes and rest for a while, relax your mind, maintain a good attitude, do some local massage or hot compress, and your eyelid twitching will disappear.

2. Pathological eyelid twitching requires treatment. Some people not only have eyelid twitching, but even the corners of their mouth and half of their face twitch, and they feel nauseous and dizzy. This type of eyelid twitching can only be stopped after the cause is found and eliminated. This type of eyelid twitching is a sign of intracranial disease. It is mainly caused by compression of the facial nerves that control the eyelid muscle movements by blood vessels, resulting in abnormal nerve impulses. It is difficult to heal on its own, so you should ask a neurosurgeon to examine and treat it as soon as possible. Pay attention to see whether the eyelid twitching is gradually decreasing or increasing, whether there is a tendency to expand downward, and whether there is a linear pulling sensation from around the eyes to the corners of the mouth. In addition, look in the mirror and feel to see if there are any obvious atrophy (depression). If your eyelids still twitch after a week, you should go to a professional medical institution for diagnosis and treatment.