Pulsating Vein Under Eye – 7 Causes & How To Stop It

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Pulsating vein under eye is a normal health condition that can have causes that aren’t due to underlying disease but are related to your current lifestyle. Stress, fatigue, dry eyes, eyestrain, allergies, nutritional imbalance, or caffeine can cause it. Try managing your lifestyle by reducing caffeine intake, taking balanced meals, less screen time, using eye drops, and applying a hot or cold compress. Consult your doctor if there’s a case of severe eye twitch persisting for a long time.

It gets annoying when you can’t stop the pulsating under your eyes. While for some, it can last for a few minutes, for others, it may last for days.

It might feel like a gentle tug under your eyelid and be mild in nature.

The short spasm you experience can be categorized as eye myokymia or an eyelid twitch.

But if you experience strong spasms forcing your eyes close, it is categorized as blepharospasm.

Eye twitching is unpredictable in nature and is usually painless and harmless in nature.

Most spasms resolve on their own without needing any help. But why do they occur? Could it be an early warning sign?

Causes of pulsating vein under eye

You might have noticed the pulsating vein under your eyes, commonly called an eyelid twitch, occurring either on the upper eyelid or just under the eye.

It’s a common muscle spasm that happens to many. You might not notice it at all, or it could easily become bothersome.

If the twitching or pulsating is just limited to one eye, you don’t have to worry too much. It’s a sign of a common condition that happens to a lot of people.

Usually, the spams go away on their own, but there is no set time limit for when they go.

Even though it is as random as a muscle spasm in any other body part, it is still better to know why it occurs in the first place.

This way, you can avoid doing some of those things that trigger pulsation under your eye in the first place.

1. Stress

A young man is stressed out from working and is getting a pulsating feeling from below his eyes.

One reason you could be suffering from eye twitch could be due to the external factors causing you stress.

Stress is something most people don’t even realize they are suffering from.

The hormones released in the body have to find some outlet through your body; thus, the eye twitch.

2. Fatigue

Tiredness or fatigue is something you experience when you have overworked yourself and haven’t had the time to catch a break.

Fatigue can result in muscle spasms not just under your eye but also in other parts of your body if overworked.

If your work involves focus from your eyes, then muscle spam is a way to show that!

3. Dry eyes

The current work culture revolves around looking at our computer screens all day, so getting dry eyes is a common symptom.

Looking at the screen tends to reduce the natural lubricants in tears.

Those who have dry eyes are likely to suffer from eye twitching.

This is because dry eyes cause you to blink more often, and frequent blinking triggers your nerves and results in eye twitching.

4. Eyestrain

It’s caused by having to work too hard to focus. It could be due to bad lighting, straining to see words that are too small, or not wearing glasses for screen protection.

5. Allergies

When you have an eye allergy, it causes your eye to be itchy, dry, and watery. It causes your eyes to irritate, which promotes twitching.

An automatic reflex of rubbing your eyes during an allergy can release histamine into the lid tissues and tears. Histamine has been linked with eye twitching.

6. Nutritional problems

There could be multiple possibilities as to why your eye could be twitching. Dehydration can result in dry eyes.

Any digestive ailment, such as vomiting or diarrhea, can lead to an imbalance of electrolytes in the body, responsible for proper muscle functioning.

A deficiency of vitamin B can affect your muscles or nerves.

7. Caffeine

Too much intake of caffeine in a day triggers eye twitching.

Taking more than the recommended quantity of caffeine in a day triggers the release of serotonin and noradrenaline, which stimulates the nerves to induce spasms.

Ways to reduce eye twitching

Eye pulsating could disappear on its own, and sometimes it’s not even noticeable.

But once in a while, it becomes irritating, and you want it to stop.

There are things you can do to improve your overall lifestyle to reduce the chances of such occurrences of eye twitching.

1. Reduce caffeine

You love your coffee, leading to many extra cups, and before you know it, you have gone way above your daily intake of caffeine.

Remember, caffeine is present as an ingredient in a lot of canned items, not just coffee.

So, reduce your intake, keeping it to the recommended dosage. Instead, replace it with other things that might be as effective as caffeine for your energy boost.

2. Increase nutrition

Take care and replenish your body’s nutrients by focusing on a healthy diet that can take care of as many nutrients as possible.

If you still think you need some help, try taking supplements for a while, but don’t make it a part of your lifestyle. Instead, focus on eating healthy.

3. Anti-allergy drops

A man is putting eye drops into his eyes to relieve any allergies and to help stop his eyes from pulsating.

If you suffer from eye allergy often, then make sure to take anti-allergy eye drops and be mindful when you’re going through the allergy.

4. Screen time

Don’t spend too much time in front of the screen. It’s recommended not to give 7 hours to screens, but it might be impossible for some because of the nature of their work.

So, instead, wear protective glasses for the screen.

Take a break in every 40 minutes for 5-10 minutes away from the screen. And have good lighting around you when working.

5. Take a break

Work can be very hectic and can get to you in many ways.

As mentioned, fatigue and stress are two big reasons for eye twitching; you should take measures to avoid it from happening. This means taking proper rest and sleep.

Resting every weekend can boost you to approach your work with newfound energy and motivation.

6. Hot and cold compress

If your twitching has been occurring the whole day, it’s better to calm it down with a warm compress before bed. If still present, try alternating with a cold one every 10 minutes.

7. Massaging or steaming

There are certain ways when we can massage a particular area to make the spasms go away.

So is the case for eye twitching. Simple face steam could help hydrate your eyes and relax the nerves that are causing the eye to twitch.

When to worry about severe eye twitching

A young woman is having pain from severe eye twitching.

People often confuse eye twitching with other things going on with their eyes that are similar in nature, but there are differences.

These concern neurological conditions like:

Blepharospasm

A gradually increased twitching in both eyelids becomes sustained and forced and can eventually lead to near blindness.

Hemifacial spasm

An involuntary twitching on one whole side of the face is usually caused by compression of one of the facial nerves.

These are very uncommon and involve spasms in both eyelids, unlike in the case of eye twitching.

Although rare, eye spam could also be an early sign of other neurological disorders, including Bell’s palsy, Dystonia, Parkinson’s disease, and Tourette syndrome.

When to see a doctor

Under certain situations, it becomes vital to see a doctor about pulsating veins under the eye as you might need medical attention.

It’s important to notice the following symptoms, which could be making things difficult for you:

Pain or discomfort

If you’re experiencing pain or discomfort due to pulsating vein under the eye, it could be bothersome and distract you from your day-to-day tasks.

To get rid of such distraction and pain, you need to address your underlying cause.

Redness and swelling

If you see redness and swelling along with a pulsating vein under the eye, it could result from dry eyes or medical conditions such as dystonia.

Your eye twitching or pulsating vein should subside fairly quickly if it’s triggered by external factors that you can fix by changing your lifestyle.

However, sometimes there might be a case that it doesn’t subside, then you need to seek a medical professional’s advice.

They might assess your situation, evaluate your condition, and recommend appropriate treatment options.

FAQs

Is a twitching eye a sign of a stroke?

In extremely rare cases, yes. But usually, eye twitching is pretty standard and prevalent among all. It is nothing to be worried about as it disappears on its own.

Is eye twitching a sign of high blood pressure?

In cases when our blood pressure is too high, our arteries trigger the eyelid twitching. Although a rare occurrence.

Can eye twitching be a sign of diabetes?

In some cases, diabetic eye disease is nerve damage affecting our ocular muscles that control eye movements. It causes eye twitching, involuntary eye movement, and double vision.

Can anxiety cause eye twitching?

Anxiety twitching does happen if you suffer from severe anxiety. Your nerves start to spasm and may get worse when trying to sleep.

When should I be worried about eye twitching?

If twitching occurs in both eyes, instead of just one, and goes on for a long time, you might have blepharospasm or hemifacial spasm. Although rare, if you see other symptoms with eye twitching, you should consult your doctor.

References

  • https://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/all-disorders/hemifacial-spasm-information-page#:~:text=Hemifacial%20spasm%20is%20a%20neuromuscular,common%20in%20the%20Asian%20population.
  • https://familydoctor.org/condition/blepharospasm/#:~:text=Blepharospasm%20is%20a%20rare%20condition,reasons%20your%20eyes%20might%20twitch.
  • https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/dry-eyes/symptoms-causes/syc-20371863

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Saumya Malik
I'm an ardent follower of everything good for the health and wellness of body and mind. I am passionate about providing effective solutions to general health and mental well-being issues and wants to help people achieve the same. When I'm not writing, you can find me curled up with a good book in a corner or cooking as a form of good mental therapy.

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