The list of symptoms associated with COVID-19 seems to be ever-growing. Symptoms vary between variants of the virus, and several long-term effects for some people have occurred over time.

A SARS-CoV-2 infection can affect your eyes in several ways, including causing small tremors or twitches in the muscles that control your eyeball. This article will explore why you might notice an eye twitch during or after COVID-19, when to see a doctor, and what other conditions can cause this problem.

Respiratory symptoms of COVID-19 seem to get the most attention, but eye problems have also been reported. Surface eye problems such as conjunctivitis, or pink eye infections, are most common, but movement disorders and spasms like eye twitching have also been reported.

There are many reasons why a SARS-CoV-2 infection could trigger eye twitching, including inflammation of certain cranial nerves. Your cranial nerves transmit messages between various parts of the brain, including your eyes, ears, and nose. Inflammation of nerves that affect the eyes can lead to twitching, spasms, and other neuromuscular symptoms.

Other possible links that have been suggested between COVID-19 and eye twitching include anxiety and increased screen time.

During the pandemic, anxiety and signs of mental health stress have increased. Anxiety and stress are causes of eye twitching or spasms. These spasms can also be brought on by fatigue, caused by increased screen time and media consumption, as was common during the pandemic.

In one report, about 67% of people polled reported increased social media consumption during the pandemic, and 80% experienced symptoms like headache or eye twitching.

What are some ways that COVID-19 can affect the eyes?

Other eye symptoms you may notice with a COVID-19 can include:

Other issues can also cause your eyes to twitch, including:

  • a lack of sleep
  • stress
  • other everyday issues

Consider seeing a doctor or ophthalmologist if your eye twitching worsens or becomes more than just a temporary problem. Some other possible causes of eye twitching or spasms can include:

If your eye twitching gets worse over time, doesn’t go away in a few weeks, or is so severe that your vision is affected, you should call a doctor or make an appointment.

If you develop eye twitching with other symptoms like dizziness, severe headache, loss of balance, or other new problems, seek immediate medical care because this could indicate other neurological problems.

Eye twitching has been reported as one of the possible eye symptoms of COVID-19, but this problem has also increased over the past several years because of increased stress and screen time during the pandemic.

If your eye twitching gets worse, affects your vision, or appears with other symptoms, call a doctor. There are several conditions besides COVID-19 that can also cause eye twitching or spasms.