Why Is My Eyelid Twitching?

You’ve likely experienced it at least once in your lifetime—suddenly your eyelid starts involuntarily twitching in spasms for no apparent reason. When this happens, it’s called myokymia. It’s a common phenomenon, but what causes it?

There is no single, definitive cause for myokymia, but it seems to be rooted in such circumstances as lack of sleep, too much caffeine, increased levels of stress, or prolonged eye strain.
Most often, intermittent myokymia is harmless and will resolve on its own. But if spasms persist, you can try alternating hot and cold compresses to sooth the overactive nerve that’s responsible for the twitching.

Occasionally, myokymia can be a sign of dry eye, light sensitivity, pink eye, or be the side effect of certain medications.

If you experience myokymia that continues for more than a week, or your eyelids completely close when spasms occur, call your eye doctor for an examination. In rarer cases, myokymia could be the result of a more serious condition, such as inflamed eyelids (blepharitis) or a nerve disorder.

Why Do I Have To Get My Eyes Dilated?

It’s true that having your eyes dilated during your routine eye exam can be a bit inconvenient. Not only does it take time, but once it’s over, you have to wear a pair of sunglasses in order to avoid that dreadful light sensitivity, and you may even have to organize transportation from a friend or family member. But dilating your eyes is one of the most important aspects of your eye exam, and wholly worth the trouble.

By using special eye drops to dilate your eyes, your optometrist has the ability to see not only the outer surface of the eye, but also through the pupil, to the retina, and all the way to the back of the eye. This makes for a much more thorough look at your overall health. Through this process, your optometrist can examine your optic nerve and blood vessels and discover issues such as retinal thinning, tears, or holes that can lead to retinal detachment or blindness.

In addition to eye-related diseases such as glaucoma, cataracts, and macular degeneration, dilation also enables your optometrist to detect the early warning signs of more general health issues, including high blood pressure and diabetes.

Despite the inconvenience, having your eyes dilated during your regularly scheduled eye exam is an important part of preventive health, for both your eyes and your whole body. Never skip out on having your eyes dilated—reserve the time, take your sunglasses, and schedule a ride home, and rest assured knowing you’re staying on top of preventative health measures that could make all the difference in your eye health and general health.

Ophthalmologists, Optometrists & Opticians: What’s The Difference?

Every ophthalmologist, optometrist and optician is an eye care professional, but not all eye care professionals possess each of these particular specialties. So what’s the difference?

Ophthalmologist. This type of eye doctor is an MD and specializes in both detecting and treating eye diseases. Becoming an ophthalmologist requires up to 12 years of dedicated education, and enables an individual to provide total eye health care, including eye exams, medical and surgical eye care, vision services, glasses and contact lens prescriptions, and general health care as it relates to ocular issues.

Optometrist. This individual, called an OD or doctor of optometry, completes six or more years of education and specializes in performing eye exams, prescribing glasses and contact lenses, and providing vision therapy and low vision solutions. An optometrist can detect and diagnose some eye conditions, but in most cases, will refer patients with more serious eye health issues to an ophthalmologist for further treatment.

Optician. Individuals with two-year degrees in ophthalmic dispensing or optometric technology are opticians. These individuals dispense, adjust, fit, and repair ophthalmic devices such as glasses or contact lenses. They are not doctors, and therefore cannot advise on or treat eye health issues, but can provide a wealth of information and services regarding the glasses or contact lenses you are prescribed.

Each of these eye care professionals offer their own set of useful skill sets that make it easy for patients to receive the eye health care they need. Knowing the differences helps you understand the eye care profession and enables you to make smart choices about your eye health.

Protect Your Eyes at Work

We only have two eyes, so it’s important we protect them with proper eyewear in every aspect. At work is a great example, not just for those that sit in front of a computer all day enduring eye strain, but also for those working in trade and craft fields such as carpenters, plumbers, machinists, millwrights, and laborers that encounter flying debris or small particles and chemicals. Wearing protective eyewear can prevent up to 90 percent of all eye injuries, but not just any eyewear will do. Did you know safety glasses are significantly different from regular eyeglasses?

Safety eyewear must meet specific criteria set by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). ANSI tests and sets the ratings for safety eyewear and OHSA sets the standards for the workplace. While safety eyewear can be prescription and non-prescription, these higher standards apply to both the lenses and the frames. The lenses and frames must go through several tests for mass impact, velocity impact, durability, flammability-resistance, corrosion-resistance, plus many more. But how do you know what safety glasses are best? Both prescription and non-prescription safety eyewear will be permanently marked with impact ratings. Z87 refers to basic impact rated eyewear and Z87+ refers to high impact rated eyewear. When in doubt, go for the high impact rating.

Remember, keep those eyes of yours protected. Even if you don’t work in a trade or craft field, we recommend keeping a pair of safety glasses at home to wear when working on projects around your home that could create a risk for eye injuries. To order prescription safety eyewear or for other questions related to protective eyewear, give us a call. We’re happy to answer your questions and help you with your eyewear needs.