7 Causes for Eye Twitching. An eye twitch is an involuntary spasm of the eyelid muscle that often happens in the upper lid. The sensation, for most individuals, is that of a gentle tug on the eyelid but some others may experience the twitching to be more of a strong spasm forcing the eye to be completely closed before opening it again. The twitching can last from a few seconds to a few minutes and can come back unpredictably.