I looked it up on google and one of the links was to this site with another person asking about eye spasms. I just wanted to get other thoughts on it, because I don't know. If this is the wrong board can you please either put it in the right one or tell me where to go?

So I have a very bad eye spasm. If I look into a mirror they both vibrate about every 4-6 seconds. The vibration comes from under my actual eyeball under my eye lid. Its in both eyes but more so my left one.

It started about a year an a half ago, during my HS graduation. I was pretty pumped and nervous at the same time. Thousands of people, probably one of the more stressful times in my life at that point. By eyes started to spasm that day, and have ever since. I think it was the overwhelming nervousness that caused it, but it has not stopped. Sometimes I feel it, but if say, some one says something to me that bugs me or gets me irritated it does it way more an I feel it and its SO annoying..

I am thinking of seeing a doctor but I just wanted to see what other people think.

this sounds like a twitching? rather than spasms?

Twitching muscles in your age group, can be due to poor dietary intake
of magnesium and essential fatty acids.
In fact a drug company was going to market a product specifically for this.
Magnesium also helps..most people do not eat enough magnesium containing foods, and instead drink alot of caffeine containing liquids. Caffeine will set off spasms too.

So try to do some dietary changes...if EFAs and Magnesium do not work, then check with a doctor. You may have simple allergies that irritate the eye lids.
If you are female, don't use cosmetics for a while, see if that helps.

to read:
EFAs in the diet and foods with them:
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/showthread.php?t=6092

magnesium supplements and dietary sources:
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/showthread.php?t=1138

These are the most likely causes for someone your age.

I am gathering that it happens when you are stressed more than other times? There are a few ways you can go get at the problem...
1- Go see your GP and ask about it. They'll do the little light in the eyes and either go HUMMM and say don't worry about it or they'll refer you to either a neurologist[studies the nerves] or an opthomologist [studies the eyes].
2-Or if you don't belong to an HMO [where you need a referral from the Primary doc [GP]], just go to the Opth...but, expect a longish wait for that first appointment....Once you are first seen, you are IN thereafter-if you know what I mean. An Opthomologist would likely give you a very good going over eye-wise, drops to dilate the pupils, all kinds of tests.
I will tell you I'd had [still occasionally had] a vision problem, one that came and went? And the problem was it rarely happened when I had a doc appt. What you might have is something that might have to be seen to be believed. In my case, I got very lucky as my problem occurred on the way to an opth appoinment - when the doc told me during that appointment he was about to 'write it all off as in my head' but for his actually seeing it. I then sure got tested for all things visual and then some as a result! Never did find the cause tho, but we both found out about what the problem wasn't!
MrsD has given you good advice and info to check out. Please listen to her.
Please let us know what happens, I hope you get the help you need! - j

Nice people

My diet.. I drink allot of water. I stopped drinking lots of pop years ago. I am right below average/average for my height which is 6'1. As for foods, I have not really changed that much since before the spasms ever started. Graduation just turned on the switch.

So my life style has changed little since way before I ever had this problem, unless because my age it did something. But I think I eat pretty good.

An yea it happens the most when I am stressed or pumped up about something. Like talking with my manager about work related things or in a discussion like politics or something. Even thinking about things like those can set my eyes off. When i think of twitching I think of those people that blink their eyes really hard because of alergies or like quick jerks. My eyes vibrate like when you have a muscle that spasms and it buldges and rumbles.

Grazie:

From what you have written, your body is responding to stress, by giving you these eye twitches. And take magnesium. Did a world of good for me.

You don't mention if you are a guy or a gal, but if you're 6'1, my guess is you're a guy, right??

Try some deep breathing exercises when you get up in the morning. Life is stressful, no way around that fact, but you can get your mind to control your body. It just takes time, and doing a few tricks like meditation, not drinking anything with caffeine (especially if you are an anxious personality type).


Hey, it's a shot. Give it a try.

Try to think of a waterfall, with a cool breeze and laying on a sandy beach. Think these thoughts the next time your eye twitches. Do deep breathing. And it doesn't hurt to get yourself checked out by a doctor, either.

But try the meditation also. And before you go to sleep, try some decaf herbal tea. It will relax you.

Is there anything going on in your life that might contribute to your being stressed (that is, if you don't mind sharing).

You see, besides our lifestyle, weight issues, and maladies, social interaction (or the lack there-of), breaking up with partners....etc. All this affects our brain chemistry. We have to try and balance it all out with meditation and deep breathing. It really does work.

Hope you have a peaceful and less twitchable day.

Well before I said it was just under my eye, but now looking in the mirror for a few minutes I notice they spasm everytime I blink aswell, and sometimes its the upper eye lid and corner of my eye. If you close your eyes really tight and touch the corners of your eye socket, that is what my spasms feel like.

Even though when I am not stressed, just talking to someone and making eye contact they do it also. I am not a antisocial or get scared when I talk to people, I am very outgoing and never affraid to talk to people I dont know. But if they do this even when I just blink at my comp chair home alone then its beyond just stress. I just dont want to waist money seeing a doctor for something theyll just pass off as stress issues.

I think I was more stress IN school before the day this all started, because of tests and my speech and debate classes and public speaking. My life is way less stressful now, i am sure my diet is better aswell not all that bad school food.

I am probably at the point now i am not giving you guys any better info so ill probably end up seeing a doctor anyway.

You need to see a good ophthalmologist. A surgical ophthalmologist at a teaching hospital, connected with a medical school, that has a large opthalmology dept would be best- as they have a wider experience in more areas. Don't let this go any farther. Your eyes, especially at a young age, should be taken care of.... asap.

I agree hon. Better safe than sorry.

Just go, have it looked out, you'll find out if there's anything that's causing this , and you'll deal with it.

Hey, they're your eyes!!! You want to keep them as bright as shiny as long as you can, right??

And bless you for doing all that school work, debate team, speech and public speaking. I think that's absolutely terrific!!

Good for you!!!

Melody