From: Sally 25/10/99 19:11:24 Subject: eyes twitching... post id: 2320 what is that funny twitch that you get in the corner of your eye. no one can see it...what is it? What causes it??? From: Darren 26/10/99 15:00:37 Subject: re: eyes twitching... post id: 2531 *Theory mode engaged* I believe that some muscle twitches can result from low sodium or potassium. Both of these (as ions) are responsible for the electrical charge differences across you cell membranes and therefore nerve conduction and muscle contraction. Perhaps your eyelid muscle is twitching because the ion balance is a little bit out of whack and the muscle is continually "firing". It could also be any number of other things, I suppose. All I know for sure is that it tends to get worse (like just about everything) when you are stressed or tired. If you like the ion imbalance theory, the remedy involves: Making sure you've had enough to drink today Making sure you've had enough (not too much) salt lately Eating a banana or something with tomato for potassium *Theory mode disengaged**Medical trivia warning* Did you know that a single glass of tomato juice contains enough potassium to kill you? If you had complete (and untreated) kidney failure, a single glass of tomato juice is all it'd take to wipe you out. So, let's all be thankful for our kidneys! From: michael c 26/10/99 15:10:19 Subject: re: eyes twitching... post id: 2537 Well Darren, you kind of give the reason why your theory wouldn't work in your medical trivia bit. The kidneys are very very good at balancing your sodium and potassium, and it is highly unlikely with normal renal function and the average diet that they would be disturbed enough to cause twitching in one tiny muscle. Any imbalance in either of them in your body usually results in much more serious symptoms. Good try though! Michael C J From: Darren 26/10/99 17:11:37 Subject: re: eyes twitching... post id: 2584 Ok Micheal C, So the kidneys are good at balancing your systemic ion levels. Does that necessarily rule out one specific muscle (by some unknown mechanism) being deprived of the correct balance? After all, the lungs are pretty good at getting oxygen into the blood but there are certain conditions that will deprive the extremities of oxygen. This may be enough to cause minor symptoms (blue fingernails, tingling) on a similar scale to the eyelid twitch, or it may be more serious (necrosis) like the nasty effects of major potassium overload/deficiency. Now, I'm not saying that the twitch DOES have anything to do with ion imbalances, as I said it was a theory only. It just seems like you dismissed it out of hand without proposing a better reason. I'm sure someone out there can come up with a plausible theory as to why a muscle (or the nerve supplying that muscle) might fire repeatedly. From: michael c 27/10/99 11:20:02 Subject: re: eyes twitching... post id: 2793 I'm sorry you felt I was dismissing your response out of hand Darren because I was not. I even applauded your attempt at finding a reason, and offered my reasoning as to why I didn't think it was correct. You said in your second reply: So the kidneys are good at balancing your systemic ion levels. Does that necessarily rule out one specific muscle (by some unknown mechanism) being deprived of the correct balance? No it doesn't rule it out, I was respondind to your original post which discussed systemic responses and solutions to Na+ and K+ imbalance. It just seems like you dismissed it out of hand without proposing a better reason. I'm sure someone out there can come up with a plausible theory as to why a muscle (or the nerve supplying that muscle) might fire repeatedly. I didn't come back with an alternative theory because I was still researching possible causes. One possible cause that I have found in this case is called Blepharospasm. Blepharospasm is defined as the repetitive contraction of eyelid muscles in a rhythmic fashion. In some instances, the eyelid may repeatedly close or attempt to close. The most common causes of muscle twitching in the eyelid are fatigue or stress. Once the spasms begin, they may continue intermittently for a day to more than a week, then disappear. Most people experience this type of eyelid twitch on occasion and find it extremely annoying. It usually stops suddenly, without you noticing. More severe contractions with closure of the eyelid are thought to be caused by irritation of the surface of the eye (cornea) or the membranes lining the eyelids (conjunctival irritation). This type is not as common as the more minor type of lid twitching. Most cases of Blepharospasm are not preventable and the condition usually disappears within a few days without any treatment. Michael C J ps. Oh and by the way my name is spelt Michael not Micheal (sorry it's just one of my pet hates). From: Darren 27/10/99 23:19:40 Subject: re: eyes twitching... post id: 3033 Yeah, OK Michael c. Sorry about that. I guess I'm just a tad twitchy myself at the moment. I've got exams bearing down in two days. So, are you saying that blepharospasm is due to stress/fatigue of the eyelid muscles? Do you know what it is specifically that causes the twitch (i.e. fatigue causes such-and-such to change, which depletes such-and-such and leads to hyperexcitability)? Again, sorry I snarled. Cheers, Darren From: michael c 28/10/99 11:00:39 Subject: re: eyes twitching... post id: 3116 Exams!!! Fair enough then, good luck, hope you do well. The stress and fatigue that is referred to (I think) is more general in the person affected, rather than in the particular muscle. The actual cause is where things get a bit vague in all the references I looked at. In the more serious cases of Blepharospasm they think it originates in the basal ganglia and has something to do with a depletion of neuro-transmitters. But that was about as much as I could find. Michael C J This forum is un-moderated. The views and opinions expressed are those of the individual poster and not the ABC. The ABC reserves the right to remove offensive or inappropriate messages.