Excessive Eye Blinking

[kitshalleen]

hi everyone,

i can't remember if i already posted about this, but i dont' think that i did. anyway, recently i've been having bouts of excessive eye blinking. i can't stop it. i went to the eye doc, who said my eyes were fine. it doesn't seem to be my eyes, but my eyelids, and when it happens i can't stop it. even when i keep my eyes closed, there are little tremor-like things going on. it's like they are still trying to blink. i can't seem to tie it to anything in particular. it's not bright lights. does anyone else have anything like this?

thanks,

kit

[lieze]

I know we hate to make an anxiety connection but I think maybe it is related. I remember my cousin doing this eye blinking and when she slept she slept with her eyes squinted. She just had so much tension and this is the area she tensed up.

When I have bouts of anxiety that come over me and it can even not feel like anxiety at the time just a weird feeling. I can hyperventilate without being aware I'm doing it or hold my breath or get a funny tickle in my throat that makes me almost either clear my throat or cough or swallow a lot. If I don't swallow or clear my throat I get a funny feeling there almost crampy or quivery like you describe.

All of this is totally out of my control and just a way the anxiety manifests in my body.

I hope you don't feel like it's an insult to suggest this.

It is kind of an involuntary thing where muscles just kind of tense up and go haywire for a period of time and it can really be uncomfortable until it passes.

I hope you get some relief.

[potsgirl]

I have to agree with Lieze. A lot of us have anxiety-related issues that affect our bodies in strange ways. I always am hunching my shoulders and don't notice it until my boyfriend comes over, puts his hands on my shoulders, and gently pushes them down. I tend to get headaches in the back of my head, too. Like Lieze, I hope you're not offended, a lot of us deal with anxiety issues here. Are you on an anti-anxiety med? I'm on Paxil/Klonopin, and I know Cymbalta is supposed to help with POTS symptoms, too. I'm not diagnosing you, but you may want to check it out.

Good luck, and be well.

[emadden514]

Hi Kit,

Sorry you are dealing with this. I have a similar problem. I have benign blepharospasm in my left eye. It came on suddenly and I still have it off and on. Mine is NOT ANXIETY. It is actually worse when resting and after completing some sort of physical activity, like folding laundry. Mine started out with just the eye but has moved into the rest of my body. It is predominantly my head, neck and arms. I now have a multitude of movements and dystonia like contractions. I've had a tremor for about 10 years now so I'm used to some of this. I am seeing the movement disorders neuro tomorrow. Good luck. I know how frustrating and concerning it can be. I usually know when it's coming on because of the pain in the left side of my face. Do you experience that as well? Take care.

Elizabeth

[Guest tearose]

Yes, mine is not anxiety either.

My neuro ophthalmologist suggested it was a problem from lack of moisture which can come from ANS dysfunction and suggested drops. It is also can happen when I have bouts of trigeminal neuritis.

[llynnchurch]

hi everyone,

i can't remember if i already posted about this, but i dont' think that i did. anyway, recently i've been having bouts of excessive eye blinking. i can't stop it. i went to the eye doc, who said my eyes were fine. it doesn't seem to be my eyes, but my eyelids, and when it happens i can't stop it. even when i keep my eyes closed, there are little tremor-like things going on. it's like they are still trying to blink. i can't seem to tie it to anything in particular. it's not bright lights. does anyone else have anything like this?

thanks,

kit

Hey, I can completely relate to you about the excessive blinking. This is one symptom that seems to be a irritant and I wondered if it is actually a Pots symptom, it seems to be because the nervous system could affect your eyes I would think. I am actually having that issue now, not so bad this very moment but still bothering me. It is as if your eyes blink a bunch on their own and you cannot control it and I seem to get eye and head pressure when this happens, it is scary for me and I dont know how it feels when it happens to you. I was at a friends house and I dont know if the lights do it, or just overstimulation but we were laughing and then I begin to feel like my eyes are blinking alot, and hope they dont notice. At the same time I feel like I cannot focus because of my eyes and the pressure on my head, it is quite embarrassing feeling and I know they have to notice. When I got in the car to drive home it gets worse, the lights do bother me and it is made worse as my neck muscles tense up. I dont know if it is stress related it seems worse around a busy atmosphere but seems to get worse also when my neck is in a tense position on computer, driving, etc. I dont know really, advice on this would be extremely helpful on how to limit this from happening. But I can completely relate, and it is scary for me. Let me know more about your issues.