A myokymia is an involuntary spasm of tiny muscles in the eyelid. Many patients report that they see the skin shaking or that it feels like there is an insect under their eyelid. Myokymia’s are a very common and almost always temporary problem which usually resolves within a matter of hours or days.
The most common cause of this is stress or anxiety. Stress can affect your body in many ways and no one know the mechanism between stress and a myokymia but a definite correlation exists. Patients who have stress in their lives and develop this often stress further about the myokymia which worsens the problem. Hence, the most common treatment I give for this is reassurance and that often resolves the problem. Cool compresses and warm compresses can also be effective in relieving the discomfort. In rare instances, a Botox injection into the affect area can be helpful but I have only had one patient in my 25 years of practice where this was needed.