Eyes

Pesky eye twitches can come and go frequently throughout the day, sometimes lasting for about 30 seconds. The worst part about this twitch is that it can't be controlled and can be very distracting.

According to Dr. Oz, this involuntary twitching may be attributed to stress, fatigue, smoking, caffeine, or alcohol consumption. I don't smoke, get a decent amount of sleep, consume alcohol in moderation, and don't drink coffee or feel stressed. So what could it be? Other experts believe it is caused by misfiring of certain cells in one area of the brain that, in addition to the above reasons, can be aggravated by harsh light conditions.

Although annoying, these twitches — proper medical term is fasciculation — are very common and often not serious. But if it does persist over a long period of time (more than a few months), you should go see a doctor.

Here are some ways you can help alleviate twitches.

We're finally enjoying some warm, sunny weather here in San Francisco, but even when it's not Summer or incredibly sunny, sunglasses are a must-have accessory for your health. Here are five reasons you should absolutely wear sunglasses.

1. Avoiding sunburn. It is possible to sunburn your eyes, resulting in redness, irritation, and a gritty feeling similar to sand in the eyes. Ouch!
2. Maintaining long-term eye health. Overexposure to UV rays can lead to cataracts and glaucoma. Choose sunglasses that screen out 75 to 90 percent of light and block at least 95 percent of UVA and 99 percent UVB radiation. Wearing a hat doesn't hurt either.

For three more reasons to get shady, read more

The term superfood is no joke, especially when it comes to green tea. Besides a little caffeine boost, antioxidant-rich green tea also protects the skin, cuts cancer risk, and delays the aging process. A new study reveals that green tea may also protect the eyes. Talk about an overachiever.

The study found that the catechins in green tea can penetrate eye tissue, spreading antioxidant love to the peepers. Using lab rats, researchers measured eye tissue for catechin absorption after feeding them green tea extract. They found that certain areas of the eye — like the retina — absorbed more catechins than other areas. The area with the least absorption was the cornea. In total, catechins were detected in the eye area for 20 hours.

This is a big break for researchers because it suggests that green tea might help protect from a variety of eye diseases like glaucoma. Just another reason to justify a mid-afternoon tea break!

When Mr. Bella was first courting me, he went on and on about my eyes. "They change color depending on your mood," he said. I smiled at the sweetness but insisted that such a thing was impossible, that any perceived shift in color was due to him needing an eye exam. I mean, I'm hardly an ocular mood ring. This became one of those cutesy couple "arguments" that we had again and again.

One thing was for certain: My eyes were much greener than they'd been when I was growing up as a blue-eyed girl. What was going on? To get to the bottom of this, I approached Jacque L. Duncan, M.D., Department of Ophthalmology, University of California, San Francisco. "Some loss of iris pigment occurs with age," she said. Fair enough. But what about the alleged color shift depending on mood? I suspected it was due to different lighting, and Duncan cleared that up. "The iris sometimes tends to reflect colors that surround it," she explained. "I think your thought about different light is closest to the truth." I love being right, but I like romance even more, so I might just file this away in the "I was right" files rather than squash Mr. Bella's romantic eye-praising.