almost 3 year old with lip licking and eye blinking

My almost 3 year old has been licking his lips excessively and blinking his eyes for about a month now.  The eye blinking seems to happen more often when he's watching TV but the tongue movement is almost constant.  If he's not licking his lips, he's curling his tongue or sticking it out.  I took him to the pediatrician and she said not to worry about the overactive tongue but that we should have his eyes checked (we have an appt in 2 days).  I don't really think anything is wrong with his vision.  He is a normal, healthy boy who has developed appropriately thus far.  I am so worried that something more is wrong with him.  Any ideas?  These "tics" developed around the same time and he hasn't really been under any stress that I'm aware of.  I just keep staring at him and my heart is so heavy with worry.  I've read about Tourettes (sp?) and wonder if this could be early signs.  I've also read that strep could be a cause but he's shown no signs of strep.  I've also read that he could possibly need more magnesium in his diet.  Help!  I'm so confused and worried!  Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[Nikita786]

Find a good neurologist. If these a re" tics" - he'll definitely confirm it. And a good oculist (vision doctor) should confirm there is nothing with his eyes (or contrary). pediatricians are not specilaist when we come with more specific questions.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tourette_syndrome
"Tourette's is diagnosed when multiple motor tics, and at least one phonic tic, are present for more than a year.Tics are movements or sounds "that occur intermittently and unpredictably out of a background of normal motor activity",[13] having the appearance of "normal behaviors gone wrong""

And check with dsm4 criteria:
http://www.behavenet.com/capsules/disorders/touretteTR.htm

"Children may be less aware of the premonitory urge associated with tics than are adults, but their awareness tends to increase with maturity. They may have tics for several years before becoming aware of premonitory urges. Children may suppress tics while in the doctor's office, so they may need to be observed while they are not aware they are being watched. The ability to suppress tics varies among individuals, and may be more developed in adults than children."

"The most common, first-presenting tics are eye blinking, facial movements, sniffing and throat clearing. Initial tics present most frequently in midline body regions where there are many muscles, usually the head, neck and facial region. This can be contrasted with the stereotyped movements of other disorders (such as stims and stereotypies of the autism spectrum disorders), which typically have an earlier age of onset, are more symmetrical, rhythmical and bilateral, and involve the extremities (e.g., flapping the hands). Tics that appear early in the course of the condition are frequently confused with other conditions, such as allergies, asthma, and vision problems: pediatricians, allergists and ophthalmologists are typically the first to see a child with tics."

So, my advice would be to go to the site of Tourette parental Association and ask them to recommend you a good neurologist and oculist who already had an experiece working with this problem.