Have you ever experienced involuntary movements, or twitching, in the muscles of your eyelids? This can be fairly annoying, but for most people, twitching goes away after just a few minutes, or at most, hours.

But, what if your eyelids twitch for several days or even months at a time?

If your eyelids twitch for more than a few days without stopping, your eye doctor will likely want to examine for blepharospasm, or a spasm of the eyelid muscles. While blepharospasm is rare, it can completely stop sufferers from being able to complete activities of daily living, severely impairing quality of life.

Doctors aren’t sure what exactly causes blepharospasm, but women aged 40-60 and individuals with a family history of blepharospasm seem to be at a higher risk of developing it.

If your doctor suspects you have blepharospasm, they will want to do a full eye examination to rule out other potential causes of your eye twitching such as Parksinson’s disease or Tourette syndrome.

Once your eye doctor confirms that you do have blepharospasm, they will discuss your treatment options. Here at J. Justin Older Eyelid Institute, we offer both of the common treatments for blepharospasm: Botox® and myectomy surgery.

For mild cases of blepharospasm, Botox can be injected directly into the eyelid to paralyze the eyelid muscles to stop frustrating eyelid twitching. For blepharospasm that does not respond well to Botox® injections, myectomy surgery is an option. During a myectomy, muscle tissue around the eye is cut and/or removed to control twitching symptoms.

J. Justin Older and his staff are experienced in treating blepharospasm with the most cutting-edge treatments in a state-of-the-art facility. If you’re suffering with constant eye twitching, call us at (813) 971-3846 or contact us online to set up your appointment in Tampa or St. Petersburg.