
Kyodo: People with twitching eyes face many problems
People who suddenly close their eyes while working may give the impression that they are doing it deliberately or trying to take a catnap but actually they may be suffering from eyelid spasms. Dr. Masato Wakakura, director of Inoue Eye Hospital in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward, said there are more than 100,000 people who suffer from this condition, which is known as blepharospasm, including those who are wrongly diagnosed...Eye spasms often interfere with daily life. According to a survey conducted by the hospital on 54 patients, half of them said they had walked into objects because of the condition...While no drugs to completely cure the condition have been found, doctors are increasingly turning to botox injections, which relax the muscles and stop the spasms. Though side effect is that people may look a bit awkward when they smile, 70 percent of the people who have had the injections are satisfied with the treatment, according to eye specialists.