{"id":16464,"date":"2021-07-28T11:40:59","date_gmt":"2021-07-28T11:40:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/?page_id=16464"},"modified":"2021-07-28T11:40:59","modified_gmt":"2021-07-28T11:40:59","slug":"what-is-blepharospasm","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-eye-conditions\/dry-eye\/eyelid-conditions\/what-is-blepharospasm\/","title":{"rendered":"What is Blepharospasm?"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><b>Over 5 per 100,000 individuals experience blepharospasm every year. Is it serious?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>Blepharospasm is a rare condition that causes your eyelid to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/eye-conditions\/guide-to-blurry-vision-and-headaches\/digital-eye-strain\/why-is-my-eye-twitching\/\">involuntarily blink or twitch<\/a> due to a muscle spasm around your eye\u00a0 most times it is not a sign of a serious eye condition.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to the involuntary eyelid twitching and spasms, blepharospasm is also often accompanied by emotional stress or anxiety, fatigue and light sensitivity.<\/p>\n<h2><b>What causes blepharospasm?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>The cause of blepharospasm is unknown. However, the condition is linked to the brain&#8217;s basal ganglia structures, which control motor functions and movement. Blepharospasm can arise when the function of these structures is abnormal.<\/p>\n<p>In rare cases, it\u2019s possible for the condition to be inherited. Blepharospasm can also be triggered by a number of factors including:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Alcohol<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Allergies<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Caffeine<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Lack of sleep<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Stress<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Vitamin and mineral deficiencies<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Vision strain or vision changes<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>SEE RELATED: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/eye-conditions\/guide-to-blurry-vision-and-headaches\/digital-eye-strain\/why-is-my-eye-twitching\/\">Why is my Eye Twitching?<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>If you\u2019ve experienced your eyelid twitching<\/b>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/practice-search\/\"><b>contact an eye doctor near you<\/b><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\t<div class=\"practice-search-widget\">\n\t\t<h3>Find an eye doctor near you<\/h3>\n\t\t\n\t<form class=\"practice-search-form practice-search-form-widget\" action=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/practice-search\/results\/\" method=\"get\">\n\n\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"distance\" value=\"100\" class=\"practice-search-distance\">\n\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"page\" class=\"practice-search-page\">\n\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"address_latitude\"><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"address_longitude\">\n\n\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"address\" class=\"practice-search-address\" placeholder=\"City, Surburb or Address\" value=\"\">\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"distance\" value=\"100\" class=\"practice-search-distance\">\n\n\t\t\n\n\t\t<button type=\"submit\" class=\"practice-search-button\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 19 19\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path fill-rule=\"evenodd\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M10.6796 0.130005C9.15708 0.130059 7.66615 0.5646 6.38198 1.38258C5.09781 2.20057 4.07373 3.36803 3.43004 4.74783C2.78634 6.12763 2.54976 7.66246 2.74808 9.17205C2.9464 10.6816 3.57139 12.1033 4.54964 13.27L0.729639 17.08C0.6364 17.1732 0.562439 17.2839 0.511979 17.4058C0.461519 17.5276 0.435547 17.6581 0.435547 17.79C0.435547 17.9219 0.461519 18.0524 0.511979 18.1743C0.562439 18.2961 0.6364 18.4068 0.729639 18.5C0.917942 18.6883 1.17334 18.7941 1.43964 18.7941C1.5715 18.7941 1.70207 18.7681 1.82389 18.7177C1.94571 18.6672 2.0564 18.5932 2.14964 18.5L5.99964 14.62C7.35406 15.6038 8.98566 16.1324 10.6596 16.13C12.7814 16.13 14.8162 15.2871 16.3165 13.7869C17.8168 12.2866 18.6596 10.2517 18.6596 8.13C18.6596 6.00827 17.8168 3.97344 16.3165 2.47315C14.8162 0.97286 12.7814 0.130005 10.6596 0.130005H10.6796ZM10.6796 14.13C9.49295 14.13 8.33291 13.7781 7.34622 13.1188C6.35952 12.4595 5.59049 11.5225 5.13636 10.4261C4.68224 9.32975 4.56342 8.12335 4.79493 6.95946C5.02644 5.79558 5.59788 4.72648 6.437 3.88736C7.27611 3.04825 8.34521 2.4768 9.5091 2.24529C10.673 2.01378 11.8794 2.1326 12.9757 2.58673C14.0721 3.04085 15.0092 3.80989 15.6685 4.79658C16.3277 5.78328 16.6796 6.94332 16.6796 8.13C16.6796 9.7213 16.0475 11.2474 14.9223 12.3726C13.7971 13.4979 12.2709 14.13 10.6796 14.13Z\" fill=\"#fff\"\/><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\n\t\t<button type=\"button\" class=\"practice-search-use-my-location\">\n\t\t\tSearch near me\n\t\t<\/button>\n\n\n\t<\/form>\n\n\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n<h2><b>Symptoms of blepharospasm<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>Symptoms of blepharospasm include uncontrollable eye twitching or blinking.<\/p>\n<p>When you&#8217;re exhausted, agitated, or anxious, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/eye-conditions\/guide-to-blurry-vision-and-headaches\/digital-eye-strain\/why-is-my-eye-twitching\/\">you&#8217;re more likely to twitch<\/a>. It can also occur when you&#8217;re exposed to strong light and sunlight. However, it can improve when you&#8217;re asleep or concentrating on a task.<\/p>\n<p>The uncontrollable twitching can become worse over time. You may eventually find it difficult to open your eyelids. Your eyelids may close for several hours at a time as the problem worsens. The muscles of your face may also spasm.<\/p>\n<h2><b>Treatment for blepharospasm<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>While there is no cure for blepharospasm, there are treatments to ease your symptoms.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Injectable medications, such as botulinum toxin, better known as Botox, can treat muscle conditions. The medicine is injected with a needle under the skin of the eyelid to temporarily weaken the muscles in the eyelids.<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Oral medicines may work, but only for a short period of time as symptoms usually return.<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Surgical procedure called a myectomy. It removes some of the muscles and nerves within the eyelid.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>If you are having frequent episodes of blepharospasm, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/practice-search\/\">consult an eye doctor near you<\/a><\/b>.<\/p>\n<p><i>If episodes of twitching eyelids are becoming more annoying or more severe, your eye doctor may be able to provide the treatment required.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Over 5 per 100,000 individuals experience blepharospasm every year. Is it serious? Blepharospasm is a rare condition that causes your eyelid to involuntarily blink or<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":16465,"parent":5489,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"template-article.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16464","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>What is Blepharospasm? - Optometrists.org<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-eye-conditions\/dry-eye\/eyelid-conditions\/what-is-blepharospasm\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What is Blepharospasm? - Optometrists.org\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Over 5 per 100,000 individuals experience blepharospasm every year. 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