Eyelid tremors are temporary symptoms that are not serious. They cause the sensation of having the eyelid “pop” or “blink”.

Eyelid tremors, sometimes called eyelid “fasciculations”, happen unexpectedly in most people. These are temporary tremors, without gravity, which can however be annoying at the time.

In reality, the fasciculations are involuntary contractions of the muscles, in this case the orbicularis muscle of the eyelid, the cause of which we do not know.

They can affect both eyes (but not at the same time), the upper or lower eyelid, or both.

We also speak of myokymia, defined by an involuntary quivering of certain muscle fibers.

If the tremors do not go away after a few weeks, if it is difficult to open the eye, if the eye is red and swollen, or if other parts of the face are shaking, then it is advisable to see a doctor.

There is usually no obvious cause for eyelid tremors. However, these spasms can be favored by several factors, including:

• tiredness ;
• the presence of cigarette smoke;
• light (sunlight or artificial if it is strong);
• wind ;
• coffee consumption;
• the stress ;
• alcohol intake;
• taking certain medicines, such as those used to treat epilepsy or psychosis
• the use of certain drugs;
• or even dry eyes.

Some other conditions may include eyelid twitching among their symptoms. Let us quote for example:

• dry eyes and decreased tears associated with this condition;
• corneal abrasion;
• glaucoma (a disease affecting the optic nerve and causing progressive loss of vision);
• uveitis (that is, inflammation of part or all of the uveea, which is in the center of the eye);
• or blepharitis (namely inflammation of the skin covering the eyelids).

Very rarely, eyelid tremor can be caused by disorders of the nervous system. For example :

• multiple sclerosis;
• Gilles de la Tourette syndrome (which is characterized in particular by motor tics);
• or dystonia (ie a neurological disorder affecting muscle tone).

Eyelid tremors are in the vast majority of mild cases and stop spontaneously after a few seconds or minutes. They are not associated with any disease.

In extremely rare cases, if they persist, they can be the precursor symptom of an underlying neurological disease, such as multiple sclerosis, or of an attack of the facial nerves causing a hemi-facial spasm or a blepharospasm (closure forced, sustained and involuntary eyelid), for example.

No specific treatment is required.

If eyelid tremor is one of the signs of a disease (glaucoma, nervous disorders, etc.), then its treatment will improve the “eyelid tremor” symptom.

If the symptom persists or seems unusually frequent to you, it is advisable to consult a doctor.