Eye twitching

[Mulligan]

Has anyone experienced eye twitching problems as they have gotten older? I've noticed they have occurred with me more often and longer as I have gotten older the past 2 years. Last week it was really bad, then I went on a golfing trip and didn't read for a few days and it went away instantly. When I returned home, I started reading again and noticed it was returning. I am 47 and don't wear eye glasses when reading but I read probably 6 hours a day in some capacity. I borrowed my girlfriends cheap eye glass readers the past 2 days and noticed it hasn't bothered me, but it has come and gone on it's own before. I've read eye strain can cause this. I didn't feel like I was straining my eyes without glasses, but the print is definitely larger obviously using the glasses even though I can read without them. Anyone ever have to deal with this before? Do people usually need reader glasses when they start to push 50?

[REWahoo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mulligan Do people usually need reader glasses when they start to push 50?

50 must be the new 40, because that's the age almost everyone in my family hit the "my arms are too short" stage.

[TromboneAl]

This has happened to me now and then but not recently. I never looked into it, but when I mentioned it to my doc, he said I needed to "close my eyes more." I took it to mean that I should sleep or relax more, which didn't make sense to me.

[haha]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mulligan Anyone ever have to deal with this before? Do people usually need reader glasses when they start to push 50?

I never had the eye twitching problem, but I started using reading glasses, as strong as I could find, long before I actually needed them to read small print.

This early adoption had a very interesting effect on my vision. Before reading glasses, my rx was -2.25 right eye, -2.50 left eye. Now, maybe 20 or 25 years later, my rx is -0.25 right, - 0.25 left. I no longer have a glasses restriction on my driver's license. I usually do wear glasses to drive, but for nothing else-sporting events, movies, nada.

I use +1.5 readers for the computer, and my monitor is about 2' away. I use +3.25's for reading. Don't hesitate, get down to Walgreens and get some, IMO the stronger the better.

Mind you, this is just my personal story, I know no science about this.

Ha

[willywonka]

My eyes started the annoying twitching thing in my late 50's. It finally went away when I stopped drinking coffee as a way to stop waking up in the middle of the night and worrying about work related matters.

I love my morning coffee though, so now I restrict myself to 2 cups made with half regular and half decaffeinated beans. Once in a while, when I go off the wagon for a week or so and consume more caffeine, the twitching comes back.

[Wheel]

Quote:

Originally Posted by haha This early adoption had a very interesting effect on my vision. Before reading glasses, my rx was -2.25 right eye, -2.50 left eye. Now, maybe 20 or 25 years later, my rx is -0.25 right, - 0.25 left. I no longer have a glasses restriction on my driver's license. his. Ha

Same thing is happening to my prescription. I was having trouble seeing clearly and thought my eyes were getting worse. Turns out they were getting better!! My eye doctor said that as one ages, their farsightedness distance improves. Sadly, the same is not true for the nearsighted, arms too short part.

[kat]

Mulligan, I am like Willy and might agree with Al's doc. For me, eye twitching started in my late 20's and mostly ended in my 30's and was related to being so tired -- insomnia -- and drinking too much strong black tea. Every so often it comes up again (40's) and I say get more sleep kid.

[My Dream]

My right eye twitching started about 20 years ago and over a period of a year got much worse. I noticed it was severe when I was stressed, tired or really nervous. In some cases when I was all three such as when I was holding a meeting at the end of the week after working 70 hours and everyone in the room was focused on me.

I eventually went to the specialist when it grew to include the side of my face. I was told it was a pinched nerve at the rear lower side of my head and surgery was not recommended therefore I went on medication. Once I got used to the medication I tried botox injections but didn't like the fact that one side of my face started to become slightly numb.

I eventually abandoned the medication and botox and started to exercise the right side of my face to try and control it and was slightly effective.

Fast forward to today and with the removal of stress, most of the tiredness and only slightly nervous at times I'd say it's 90% gone.

My wife reads a lot and has now noticed a slight eye twitching, but it's no where as extreme as I had. She's now trying audio books and has noticed the twitching has gone away. Well for now anyway.

Not sure if this info helps but try to get some rest and relax, then see if it makes a difference.

[Walt34]

I did have that issue for a while, but it stopped about a year after I retired.

I'm not attributing cause and effect, but gee, the stress level went way down then too so the coincidence seems more than coincidence.

[pimpmyretirement]

I get eye twitches in response to stress as well. Nothing to do with reading or using a computer screen for me. I can stare at screens all day without any problems.

[Mulligan]

Several of you mentioned stress, which was a reason my friend got it. He took a Botox shot and it went away. My only stress is making myself mow the lawn once a week, so that isn't the cause thankfully. However some of you mentioned caffeine. I may have to look at that as I start the day off with 2 java's then a coke zero, and iced tea for lunch. I sure hope the reading glasses are the answer as I have drank too much coffee, tea, and soda the past 30 years to have to quit now!

[REWahoo]

Odd that this thread would show up now. Maybe there is some sort of virus causing so many of us to have these symptoms...

I've been afflicted with an eye/facial twitch for the past several months. Really irritating at times and DW wants me to seek medical attention - but I've been resisting, of course.

Happily, I don't have too much stress in my life, so I suspected it was a pinched nerve. I've tried to change how I sit at the computer and adjust my posture when reading, but so far no improvement. The caffeine theory is something worth investigating so I'm going to try to cut way back (can't give up at least one cup of morning coffee) and see if that helps.

[Blackwoodt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by My Dream My right eye twitching started about 20 years ago and over a period of a year got much worse. I noticed it was severe when I was stressed, tired or really nervous. In some cases when I was all three such as when I was holding a meeting at the end of the week after working 70 hours and everyone in the room was focused on me.

W*rk stress brings on my eye twitching, gives me a headache and makes it impossible to read. Next year when I retire, I hope to never be bothered with this ailment ever again!

[tmm99]

Next time you get eye switching, try a capsule of Magnesium Oxide. (I know Mag oxide is not very absorbable and can cause diarrhea, but IMHO, it is faster acting than any other mag's I've tried - and it's the cheapest to boot.) It works great for my PCV's (premature ventricular contractions) and eye twitching (I've had PCV's for years. Eye twitching seems to come around when I eat too much dairy or go strict low-carb.)

[powerplay]

I have had an eye twitch before and it would usually be off and on for several days at a time. It was mostly annoying. Don't remember it happening in the last year and a half since retiring. Maybe a connection to stress, tiredness, or ??

Yet another good reason to be retired!

[Moscyn]

Had eye twitching a number of times when I was working and I know that the cause is stress. It comes when I have an urgent project or difficult people to work with. My eye twitches for a few days. Very uncomfortable. Closing my eyes and palming them to provide as much darkness as possible is very soothing. It helps relax the eye area. I don't usually treat the twitches with any medicine. It just goes off by itself. The longest I had it was for a week and then it just went off by itself. After retiring, I don't have any eye twitches.

[RetirementColdHardTruth]

Take some magnesium, a B complex, a multi vitamin, and eat a few bananas each day (remember monkeys don't twitch LOL, no for the potassium). Watch the caffeine. Unless you have other symptoms with the twitching it is really nothing more than your body telling you are deficient in something.

[eytonxav]

I've had some very infrequent and short lived twitching throughout my life, but can't even recall the last time. But now, I am dealing with floaters in one eye. It was caused by me pressing on my left eye when I was checking my alarm clock in the middle of the night in an attempt to make it focus better. Don't do this

[TromboneAl]

I was taught that floaters are always present (they are remnants of the hyaloid membrane) and most people don't notice them unless they have some visual event such as surgery, etc.

If I lie on my back and look at the sky, I'll always notice some, and can use rapid eye movements to position one so that I can "look" right at it without it jumping away.

[eytonxav]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TromboneAl I was taught that floaters are always present (they are remnants of the hyaloid membrane) and most people don't notice them unless they have some visual event such as surgery, etc. If I lie on my back and look at the sky, I'll always notice some, and can use rapid eye movements to position one so that I can "look" right at it without it jumping away.

To be a little more specific, I actually suffered from a vitreous detachment, which can also occur due to age, but heck, I'm still a young buck: Vitreous Retina Macula Consultants of New York | Posterior Vitreous Detachment: Floaters and Flashes