Blepharospasm Twitching eyelid Homeopathic Treatment

Eye twitching can be due to various reasons –

• Bright light

• Caffeine intake

• Fatigue

• Alcohol

• Smoking

• Stress

• Wind

• Lack of sleep

• Stress, strain

• Corneal irritation

• Fatigue

• Neurological disorder

• Side affect of medications

• Nutritional deficiency.

Some of the trigger factors –

• Dry eyes

• Environmental allergies

• Eyestrain due to prolonged focus while on computer, reading, watching TV, or bright lights.

Eyelid twitch may accompany vision distortion or other eye symptoms, including:

• Blurred or double vision
• Discharge from the eye
• Drooping eyelid (ptosis)
• Dry eyes
• Eye pain
• Foreign body in the eye
• Increased sensitivity to light
• Itchy eyes
• Squinting
• Red, sore eyes (bloodshot eyes)
• Watery eyes

Involuntary eyelid spasms typically fall into one of three different categories ranging from mild to serious, and with varying treatments:

Eyelid twitch also called myokymia: This most common type of eyelid spasm can occur in the lids of one or both eyes and typically resolves on its own within a few days. Increased sleep, reduced stress, and lower caffeine intake are effective treatments for myokymia.

Blepharospasm: This rare type of involuntary movement involves both eyes and often leads to a complete closing of the eyelids during the spasm. The muscles around the eyes may also squeeze, and in some cases, the spasm extends to the mouth and neck muscles. Treatment with botulinum toxin Botox is usually effective in relieving symptoms.

Hemifacial spasm: This more serious spasm is a nervous system disorder that most often results from a blood vessel touching a facial nerve. In hemifacial spasm, all of the muscles on one side of the face twitch involuntarily. Botox can provide symptom relief, but some patients require a neurosurgical procedure called microvascular decompression to treat the condition.

 A careful physical examination and use of proper lab tests can help to distinguish between conjunctivitis and more serious ocular conditions.

Physical Examination

Conjunctivitis is most commonly diagnosed by simple physical examination.

Number of Eyes Affected

Bacterial conjunctivitis tends to start in one eye but often spreads to the other eye.1 Viral conjunctivitis, however, tends to affect only one eye.

Eye Discharge

Conjunctivitis often causes discharge from the eye. When the cause is a bacteria, that discharge is often thick and purulent, i.e., yellow or green.2 It tends to cause crusting that can make it difficult to open the eye in the morning.

Viral conjunctivitis, on the other hand, tends to have a thinner watery discharge. While this discharge can be sticky, it is unlikely to force the eye shut.

Subconjunctival Hemorrhage

A subconjunctival hemorrhage develops when one of these blood vessels breaks. Instead of thin red lines in the white part of your eye, you will see a bright patch of red.

"Pink eye" gets its name from the color of inflamed blood vessels.

Although it can be conspicuous in appearance, it is not dangerous and usually recovers in a week or two.3 These hemorrhages are more common with viral conjunctivitis.

Swollen Lymph Nodes

A proper physical exam is not limited to the eyes. Lymph nodes around the ear and neck can sometimes get swollen and tender with viral, but not bacterial, conjunctivitis.1

Eversion of the Eyelid

Pink eye can occur when a foreign body gets into your eye. Until that foreign body is removed, you are likely to have an inflammatory reaction. Your healthcare provider may need to flip your upper eyelid inside out to make sure there is not something stuck between your eyelid and your eyeball that could be causing irritation.

The procedure may sound painful but it is not. In some cases, anesthetic eye drops can be used to make you more comfortable during the exam.

Fluorescein Eye Stain

A dark orange water-soluble dye called fluorescein can be placed in your eye to look for irritation and injury that can not be seen on routine exam. The dye stains the cornea and lights up over areas where superficial epithelial cells are loose or otherwise stripped away.

Areas that light up with the dye can be a sign of corneal abrasion or may show a dendritic pattern often seen with herpes simplex eye infections. The dye can also make it easier to locate a foreign body within the eye.

Fluorescein is placed in your eye by having you blink onto a strip of dye-coated paper or by using eye drops. Your healthcare provider will then look at your eye under cobalt blue light. Altogether, the test takes only minutes to perform.

At first, the whites of your eye will take on a yellow color but natural tears wash out the fluorescein over minutes to hours. Any fluorescein that touches the skin around the eye could stain your skin for a day or two.

Slit Lamp Examination

A more formal eye exam may be performed using a slit lamp. This is essentially a microscope that shines a thin beam of light into your eye. Your healthcare provider will use different lenses to evaluate the front chambers as well as the back chambers of your eye.

This equipment is most often found in an ophthalmologist office but some primary care offices, urgent care clinics, and the emergency department may also have access to a slit lamp.

Lab Tests

Lab testing can improve the accuracy of the diagnosis and may help to guide more effective treatments. Many healthcare providers often treat based on their clinical exam alone.

Bacterial conjunctivitis may require antibiotics, but viral infections are self-limited and heal on their own.

Culture

The gold standard for diagnosing any infection is culture. Not only will the causative bacteria be identified, but it can then be tested against different antibiotics to show which ones are most effective.

For conjunctivitis, a sample of tears or other ocular discharge can be collected with a swab and sent to the laboratory. The problem with cultures is that it can take days to get results. That is too long to wait for treatment.

Unless you have had resistant or recurrent infections, cultures are rarely used to diagnose conjunctivitis.

PCR Testing

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a more advanced technique that uses DNA from a sample to see if an infection is present. Unlike traditional culture, it cannot check for antibiotic susceptibility.5 

When it comes to conjunctivitis, PCR can be used to screen for both bacteria and viruses. The most common bacteria screened are chlamydia and gonorrhea.

Adenovirus accounts for 70% of all viral conjunctivitis cases.

Adenoviruses and herpes simplex viruses also have PCR tests available. The results are often available within 24 hours.

Rapid Adenovirus Screening

You can try supplementing with magnesium, but you should check with your doctor if the condition is chronic. Because stress may be a contributing factor, sometimes paying attention to issues causing stress and self massage can be helpful.

Massaging the cheek, jaw and gum muscles can sometimes bring immediate relief for mild cases.

If you feel inside your mouth, you'll find the masseter muscle, a hard muscle near the back which moves up and down vertically.

Use your pointer finger at the top end of the masseter muscle, next to the upper gum and begin pressing firmly checking for tender places.

Press any tender spots for about 30 seconds, not too hard, just as much as you can stand. More pain is not helpful.

Work your way around the top of this muscle, pressing any tender spots.

In the same way, find tender spots and press for 30 seconds along the upper back gum line.

Generally it will take not more than 3-4 days for relief.

A warm compress over the upper face and eyes will help to relax the muscles and relieve muscle tension. If you have myokymia, with swelling, the warm compress can help to reduce swelling.

Other sensory tricks: try some of these, one at a time to see if they work for you.

Press fingers against temples, end of nose, or other facial location. It's different for each person.

Wear a tight headband or baseball cap.

Close your eyes and put your head back or look down.

Go to a dark place and sit quietly, not thinking of anything in particular. Don't try to relax; perhaps just notice your breathing.

Chew gum, whistle, hum, sing, suck on a straw.

Read aloud.

If possible, avoid drugs that contribute to or aggravate blepharospasm.

Stop or cut-down on caffeine intake, specifically coffee, tea, chocolate or any soft drinks with caffeine.

Stop smoking.

Dark glasses are helpful for your light sensitivity.

Make sure your computer setup uses proper ergonomics. Aim for an arm's length distance from the screen.

Smart phone users: don't hold your phone close to your eyes - this aggravates eye strain. Aim for a minimum of 12-14".

Use natural light if possible.

Take steps to reduce chronic stress at your job, and manage your stress with meditation or yoga. Take a walk.

Aconite [Acon]

In the very first stage, when the lids are swollen, red, hard, with a tight feeling in them, great heat, dryness, burning and sensitiveness to air, caused by exposure to cold, dry wind; fever, with great heat and thirst; hardly any lachrymation.

Alumina [Alum]

Chronic inflammation of the lids (particularly if complicated with granulations); burning and dryness of the lids, especially in the evening; itching dryness and excoriation of the canthi; absence of lachrymation; eyes generally better by being bathed; very little destruction of tissue.

Antimonium-tart [Ant-t]

Chronic blepharophthalmia of children; soreness of outer canthi; eyes red, inflamed, with itching and nightly agglutination and morning photophobia; inflammation of lachrymal

gland duct.

Antimonium-crud [Ant-c]

Obstinate cases in which the lids are red, swollen and moist, with pustules on the face; especially in cross children: PUSTULES ON THE CILIARY MARGIN.

Apis [Apis]

Incipient stage, before the formation of pus; great puffiness of the lids, especially of the upper, with stinging pains; reddish blue swelling of the lids; lachrymation profuse, hot and burning; relief from cold water; chronic blepharitis, with thickening of the conjunctiva, with aversion of the lower lid; mucous secretion during night, agglutinating the lids, causing much pain when attempting to open them; granulations on edges of lids.

Argentum-nit [Arg-n]

Lids very sore, red and swollen; profuse, thick, yellowish, bland discharge from the eyes, with firm agglutination in the morning; headache; pain in root of nose, etc.; relieved in the cold air, or by cold applications; ciliary blepharitis from being over a fire; after measles; purulent ophthalmia of adults or children.

Arsenicum [Ars]

Burning in the oedematous swollen lids; lachrymation profuse, hot and acrid, excoriating the lids and cheek; cachexia, with great restlessness, aggravation after midnight; thirst, etc.

Aurum [Aur]

Blepharitis in scrofulous or syphilitic subjects after the abuse of mercury; lids red and ulcerated, with stinging, pricking or itching pain in them; ciliae rapidly fall out.

Belladonna [Bell]

Swelling and redness of lids, with burning and itching; constant agglutination; bleeding on opening the eyes; aversion of lids or paralytic weakness.

Borax [Bor]

Inflammation of eyes at canthi, with irregularity of the lashes; margins of lids affected; eyelashes loaded with a dry, gummy exudation, stick together in the morning; granulated lids; difficult opening of lids.

Calcarea-carb [Calc]

Blepharitis in unhealthy, pot-bellied children who sweat much about the head; lids red swollen and indurated; inflammation of the margins of the lids, causing loss of the eyelashes with thick, purulent, excoriating discharge and burning, sticky pain; GREAT ITCHING and burning of the margins of the lids, particularly at the canthi; throbbing pain in lids, (<) morning, on moving the eyes, in damp weather and when writing; scrofulosis.

Calcarea-iod [Calc-i]

Blepharitis in unhealthy children afflicted with enlargement of the glands, and especially of the tonsils.

Causticum [Caust]

Blepharitis, complicated with warts on the eyebrows and lids; amelioration in the open air; feeling of sand in the eye.

Chamomilla [Cham]

Cross, peevish children; great dryness of the edge, or else copious secretion of mucus; nightly agglutination; spasmodic closing or great heaviness of the lids.

Cinnabaris [Cinnb]

Ciliary blepharitis, with dull pain over or around the eyes; dryness of the eye, or considerable discharge.

Croton-tigr [Croto-t]

Blepharitis, with vesicular eruption on the lids and face.

Euphrasia [Euphr]

Lids red swollen; excoriated by the profuse, acrid, muco purulent discharge; lachrymation profuse, acrid and burning.

Graphites [Graph]

Acute blepharitis, complicated with ulcers or pustules on cornea. Chronic blepharitis in scrofulous subjects covered with eczematous eruptions, chiefly on head and behind ears, which are MOIST, FISSURED AND BLEED EASILY; edges of lids slightly swollen, of a pale red color, and covered with DRY SCALES OR SCURFS, or the margins may be ulcerated; outer canthi cracked and bleed easily upon any attempt to open; biting, itching, burning dryness of lids, causing a constant desire to rub them. Moist eczema of the lids, with tendency to crack, while the margins are covered with scales or crusts.

Hepar-sulph [Hep]

After the first stage, when suppuration threatens; lids inflamed, throbbing, aching, stinging, very sensitive to touch; amelioration by heat; eczema palpebrarum, where the scabs are thick and honeycombed.

Kali-mur [Kali-m]

Suppurating points on edges of eyelids; edges scabby; yellow crusts of pus on the edges of lids.

Kreosotum [Kreos]

Blepharitis of infants or adults; discharge of hot, scalding tears early in the morning, (<) when rubbing eyes and when looking into a bright light; agglutination of eyelids.

Mercurius [Merc]

Lids thick, swollen, red, especially along the base of tarsal cartilages, scurfy or ulcerated, sensitive to heat, cold or touch; great photophobia; much acrid lachrymation; conjunctiva discharge, requiring frequent wiping, gumming the lids in the morning; external canthi red, sore and cracked; phlyctenular inflammation of conjunctiva or cornea, (<) in evening after going to bed, from warmth in general, from glare of fire, or from any artificial light; excoriated nostrils; acrid nasal discharge; soft, flabby tongue.

Mercurius-subl-cor [Merc-c]

Pains more severe and spasmodic; lachrymation more profuse and acrid, secretions thinner and more excoriating; lids indurated; inflammatory swelling of cheeks and parts around the orbit, which are covered with small pustules;, at night.

Mercurius-iod-rub [Merc-i-r]

Simple, indolent phlyctenulae; granulated lids, ulceration of cornea; albuginea inflamed and painful; some photophobia.

Mezereum [Mez]

Blepharitis, accompanied by tinea capitis, eczema of lids and head, characterized by thick, hard scabs, from which pus exudes on pressure.

Natrum-mur [Nat-m]

Ciliary blepharitis, especially if caused by the use of caustics (nitrate of silver); catarrhal susceptibility to wind, and the acrid lachrymation in open air makes canthi red and sore; lids thick and inflamed, smart and burn, with a feeling of sand in the eye; lids and cheeks glossy and shining marked photophobia with spasmodic closure of lids.

Nux-vomica [Nux-v]

Chronic blepharitis, dependent upon gastric disturbances, with smarting and dryness, (<) mornings.

Petroleum [Petr]

Ciliary blepharitis; much water discharged from both canthi; lachrymation in open air (not necessary in cold air) and continuing in-doors; inflammation and swelling of the inner canthus, like an incipient lachrymal fistula with dryness of the right side of the nose; burning, biting of the lids; occipital headache, rough skin.

Psorinum [Psor]

Strumous diathesis; old chronic cases with occasional exacerbations with unhealthy, offensive discharge from the eyes; acute cases, where the internal surface of the lids is chiefly affected, with considerable photophobia.

Pulsatilla [Puls]

BLEPHAROADENITIS: great tendency to the formation of styes or abscesses, on the margin of the palpebrae; blepharitis from high living or fat food, accompanied by acne of the face; discharge more often profuse and bland, causing agglutination of the lids mornings; itching and burning of lids; lachrymation (<) in cold draught, or of one eye, with drawing headache, in the evening, in warm room, but (>) in cool, open air.

Rhus-tox [Rhus-t]

Erysipelatous swelling of lids, with vesicles on cheeks; chemosis; profuse lachrymation; (<) at night, in cold, damp weather, (>) by warm applications.

Sepia [Sep]

ACNE CILIARIS; Chronic inflammation of edges of the lids with scales on the ciliae and small pustules on the lid margins; feeling as if the lids were too heavy or as if they were too tight and did not cover the ball; (<) morning and evening.

Silicea [Sil]

Blepharitis, with agglutination of the lids in the morning; objects appear as if seen through a fog; amelioration by wiping the eyes; fluent coryza, from working in a damp place or being in cold air.

Staphisagria [Staph]

Dryness and itching of the margins of the lids, with hard nodules on the borders and destruction of the hair follicles.

Sulphur [Sulph]

Inflammatory redness of the lids, with burning pains; secretion of mucus and eye gum aversion to water, so that he cannot beat to have the eyes washed; eczema around the eye and in other portions of the body; blepharitis after the suppression of an eruption or when the patient is covered by eczema in strumous children, who are cross and irritable by day and feverish and restless at night.

Tellurium [Tell]

Eczema of lids, complicated with moist eruption often behind the ears and offensive otorrhoea, smelling like fish brine.

Thuja [Thuj]

Tinea ciliaris; dry branlike, eruptions on the lids, and dine scales covering the skin generally; eyes weak and suffused in tears; EYE affections of tea drinkers.

Veratrum-vir [Verat-v]

Traumatic erysipelas of the lids, excessive dryness of the lids, with difficulty of moving them; great heat in the interior of the eyes.