There you are, minding your own business, when your eye starts to spasm¹ out of control. It’s a very annoying feeling which can persist for hours. But is there any cause for alarm? Trinidadians have quite a rich collection of superstitions² concerning jumping eyes. For instance, if your right eye jumps, you are going to hear good news, and if your left eye jumps, you are going to hear bad news. Superstitions aside, the short answer is that a twitching⁴ eye is totally fine, although in some exceptional cases it may underlie⁵ a neurological condition.

有时候，当你专注于做事的时候，你的眼皮开始不受控制地跳动。这是一种令人很烦躁的感觉，有时会持续几个小时。怎么会这样？对此特立尼达人有许多迷信的解释。比如，如果是右眼皮跳，那么你将会听到好消息；而如果是左眼皮跳，那么你会听到不好的消息。抛开迷信解释不谈，对于眼皮跳原因的简短解释是，没啥大碍。虽然，在个别情况下它可能是某种神经疾病的起因。

Eye spasm is characterized by the spontaneous contractions⁶ of muscle without muscular atrophy⁷ or weakness. You might have experienced an involuntary muscle spasm in your knee or elbow. The same can happen to the orbicularis oculi muscle (the muscle in the face that closes the eyelids⁹).

眼皮跳动是一种自发的肌肉收缩，不伴有肌肉萎缩或肌肉无力。你可能经历过膝盖或者肘部的肌肉无意识抽搐。同样的情况也会发生在眼轮匝肌（眼睑附近的肌肉）上。

Eye spams are typically unilateral, occurring in one of the lower eyelids. Sometimes, both eyelids may be involved but the fascicular contractions of each eyelid⁸ is independent of each other. The transient and intermittent¹⁰ twitching is semi-rhythmic at a rate of 3-8 Hz.

眼皮抽搐通常出现在某一边的下眼睑上。有时候可能会涉及两边的眼睑，不过两边眼睑的肌肉收缩彼此独立。这种短暂且间歇性抽搐的频率在3-8赫兹。

In the majority of cases, eyelid spasms¹¹ are no cause for concern. These are usually self-limiting and benign¹², so medical intervention¹³ is typically unnecessary. Very rarely, eyelid myokymia may occur as a precursor¹⁴ of hemifacial spasm, blepharospasm, Meige syndrome¹⁵, spastic-paretic facial contracture, and multiple sclerosis.

在大部分情况下，眼皮抽搐没什么好担心的。它们通常是一种自我限制的良性问题，没必要去医院检查。但在很罕见的情况下，肌纤维颤搐可能是面肌痉挛、眼睑痉挛、麦杰综合征、痉挛性麻痹面部抽搐以及多发性硬化的前兆。

下面是眼皮跳最常见的原因。

Stress 压力

This is the number-one reason for a twitching eye, according to ophthalmologists. When we’re under a lot of pressure, the body releases stress hormones¹⁶ (cortisol) which triggers a “fight or flight” response. One immediate¹⁷ consequence¹⁸ is muscle arousal, which may affect eyelid muscles as well. This may be a good time to see your friends, unwind, or meditate¹⁹ in order to reduce the stress that might be causing the twitching eye.

眼科医师表示，压力是引起眼皮跳的最主要因素。当我们感受到很大压力时，身体会释放压力荷尔蒙，引发“战或逃”反应。该反应最直接的结果是肌肉被唤醒，从而可能影响眼睑肌肉。对于你而言，这是一个探望朋友、放松或者冥想以减轻压力的好时机。

Fatigue²⁰ 疲劳

Not getting enough sleep or working too much overtime²¹ may cause your eye to complain. Scientists aren’t sure why, but they’ve found that getting more rest will make the symptoms subside²².

得不到足够睡眠或者加班过多可能会使你的眼睛“抱怨”。科学家们并不确定其中的原因为何，但他们发现多休息能减轻症状。

Dry eyes 眼干涩

More and more people work office jobs that involve a lot of sitting and staring at a computer screen. This sort of lifestyle can lead to dry eye syndrome (DES), also known as keratoconjunctivitis sicca (KCS). Dry eye syndrome is caused by a chronic²³ lack of sufficient lubrication and moisture on the surface of the eye. When our eyes are too dry, they might involuntarily start twitching to keep them moisturized. This repeated blinking can trick the brain into making one or both eyes twitch³ even more. To avoid DES, use eye drops if you use the computer for more than seven hours a day and make sure to look away from the screen at least once every 20 minutes.

越来越多的人在办公室里工作，需要长时间坐着并盯着电脑屏幕。这种生活方式会导致干眼症，也叫作干燥性角膜结膜炎。干眼症由眼睛表面长期缺乏润滑和滋润导致。当我们的眼睛太干燥时，它们也许会通过自发的眼皮跳动来保持湿润。眼睛不停眨会影响大脑，让一只或者两只眼睛的眼皮跳动更频繁。为了避免干眼症，如果你每天用电脑的时间超过七小时，那么你可以使用滴眼液，并确保自己每隔二十分钟让眼睛至少休息一次。

Caffeine and alcohol 咖啡因和酒精

Caffeine and alcohol have seemingly polar effects on the body. One is a stimulant²⁴ while the other is an inhibitor — but both can bring a twitching eye when used in excess. It’s important to stay hydrated and to avoid real or artificial sugars when this happens.

咖啡因和酒精对身体似乎有两极性影响。一种是兴奋作用而另外一种是抑制作用，而它们在饮用过量的时候都会导致眼皮乱跳。这时你需要补水并避免食用天然糖或者人造糖。

Mineral deficiencies 缺乏矿物质

A jumping eye might be triggered by magnesium²⁵ deficiency. If the twitch persists, it’s a good idea to get your magnesium levels checked with a simple blood test. If you really are magnesium deficient²⁶, you should focus on eating more foods like almonds, oatmeal, or spinach²⁷. You can also take magnesium supplements to meet daily Mg needs.

眼皮乱跳可能由缺镁导致。如果眼皮一直乱跳，那么你可以通过简单的血液测试来检查体内的镁含量。如果真的缺镁，就要多吃杏仁、燕麦片和菠菜，还可以服用镁补充剂来满足日常镁需求。

Eyelid infection 眼睑感染

Blepharitis occurs when bacteria infect your eyelids, causing inflammation and redness. This makes the muscles around the eye twitchy. Other symptoms include burning or stinging eyes, dandruff at the base of the eye, and grittiness. The treatment of blepharitis should begin with a visit with your eye doctor to determine the cause of your sore, red, itchy eyelids. Eyelid hygiene²⁸ is very helpful to treat and control blepharitis, and a good place to begin is applying a wet clean warm compress to melt any blocked residue²⁹ around the eyelid. Repeat this several times a day.

眼睑有细菌感染时，就会患上睑缘炎，它会导致眼睛发炎和红肿。这会导致眼睛周围的肌肉颤动。其他症状还包括眼睛灼痛、剧痛，眼睛底部出现皮屑和异物感。这时你应该去看眼科医生，了解眼睑肿痛发痒的病因。保持眼睑卫生有助于治疗和控制睑缘炎，可以用干净的热敷布来按压眼睛，融化眼睑里残留的阻塞物，一天重复几次。