Science or superstition? – An overview

Written by Nazia Tabasum A

There are lots of superstitious beliefs in various parts of the world. In this article, I would like to clear the misconceptions of eyelid twitching, which is often believed to show signs about good and bad events in one’s life.

So why does an eyelid twitch? Is that a medical condition, or connected with spiritual belief?

I am always against this because few people in my family strongly believe in this concept. Whenever I say my eyelids are twitching, immediately they get panic and ask if it is the right eye or the left eye. If I say the right one, they say that a good thing will occur and if I say the left one, I can clearly sense their anxiety.

When I started to explore about this concept more deeply, I got to know about various reasons that can cause eyelid twitching.

According to American Academy of Ophthalmology, it is clearly mentioned that if there is a spasm or slight movement in upper or lower eyelids, eye twitching occurs. For more details check, https://www.aao.org/eye-health/tips-prevention/how-to-stop-eye-twitching

There are various factors that can also trigger eye twitching,

– Dry eyes

– Consumption of alcohol or caffeine

– Bright light

– Fatigue

– Smoking

– Stress

– Intake of certain medications

So, from the medical point of view, we are now clear about how and why the twitching happens. Then why do people still believe in this superstition ?

Ancient civilizations related each unexplainable event to a superstition. Those days, there were no ophthalmologists or any advanced eye experts to provide detailed clarification about this occurance.

So, the people themselves concluded that right eye is associated with goodness and left eye with evil.

That’s how this superstitious belief emerged, and it is still believed and followed by the new generations.

Hence, if you ever get to face eye twitching next time, instead of getting excited or panic, just control your screen time and give enough rest to your eyes.

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