Community Forum Archive

The Epilepsy Community Forums are closed, and the information is archived. The content in this section may not be current or apply to all situations. In addition, forum questions and responses include information and content that has been generated by epilepsy community members. This content is not moderated. The information on these pages should not be substituted for medical advice from a healthcare provider. Experiences with epilepsy can vary greatly on an individual basis. Please contact your doctor or medical team if you have any questions about your situation. For more information, learn about epilepsy or visit our resources section.

Uncontrolable Eye Jerking...

Wed, 05/19/2010 - 23:36

Hoping someone can help me...I have complex partial seizures, and lately I have a new symptom that is worrying me. I get these episodes when my eyes both start jerking really fast from side to side and I have no control over it. It last only seconds, but it is scary. Is this a seizure that I should be telling my doctor about or is this something completely NOT related to epilepsy? If anyone has any input or advice I would really appreciate it. I have looked all over the web and it doesn't seem like there is a lot of straight forward info and I know that coming here I get a lot more information!

Thanks!

Amber 

 

Comments

Re: Uncontrolable Eye Jerking...

Submitted by pgd on Thu, 2010-05-20 - 10:34
Some children and adults have nystagmus (involuntary eye movements/eye wobble).  It appears that some types of nystagmus are not associated with epilepsy at all, however, in a few cases the eye movements may be due to some subtle type of the many, many epilepsies (likely involving the 12 pairs of cranial nerves/more precisely the ones which help control eye movements).  That's my understanding.  Also, it's known that some meds used for epilepsy can, as a side-effect, affect eye movements vs other meds for epilepsy which do not appear to affect eye movements.  Also (perhaps less likely): -   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paroxysmal_dyskinesia -  Yes, you should be telling your epilepsy doctor about your eyes.  Good luck.

Re: Uncontrolable Eye Jerking...

Submitted by amber1981 on Fri, 2010-05-21 - 01:21

I take 1,000 mgs of Depakote...I will have to look it up and see if that is a side effect...thanks for the info!

:)

I take 1,000 mgs of Depakote...I will have to look it up and see if that is a side effect...thanks for the info!

:)

Re: Uncontrolable Eye Jerking...

Submitted by Veeresh on Fri, 2010-05-21 - 05:57

Well, I have epilesy for over 7 years. two years before this all started i also was having the twiching problem, but had no clue whatsoever, what was happening! Then came the jerking and I was still clueless. Guess they are just the starters. If at all your eyes are twiching, don't panic. It doesn't necessarilly mean you are going to have a seizure. But my mom says eye twiching is not a good sign. If it happens just go and get some rest. In my case when my hands start shaking thats when i know.

Well, I have epilesy for over 7 years. two years before this all started i also was having the twiching problem, but had no clue whatsoever, what was happening! Then came the jerking and I was still clueless. Guess they are just the starters. If at all your eyes are twiching, don't panic. It doesn't necessarilly mean you are going to have a seizure. But my mom says eye twiching is not a good sign. If it happens just go and get some rest. In my case when my hands start shaking thats when i know.

Sign Up for Emails

Stay up to date with the latest epilepsy news, stories from the community, and more.