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. 2008 Aug 21;9(6):401–403. doi: 10.1007/s10194-008-0066-2

Cataract in chronic cluster headache: two case reports and review of the literature

Silvia Benemei 1,4,✉, Paola Nicoletti 1, Pierangelo Geppetti 1,2, Mara Bonciani 3
PMCID: PMC3452078  PMID: 18716712

Abstract

Cluster headache (CH) consists of attacks of severe, unilateral orbital/supraorbital/temporal pain, lasting for 15–180 min, occurring once or more times a day, and associated with ipsilateral conjunctival injection, lacrimation and other symptoms. Cataract is clouding of the lens of the eye causing a progressive and painless loss of vision. We describe the cases of two men (not relative, but with the same last name, which originates from north-eastern Italy) that in young adult age, after years of suffering from chronic CH, developed cataract on the same side of the pain attacks. Patient 1 was diagnosed as having cataract 18 years after the onset of episodic (and subsequently chronic) CH. Patient 2 began suffering from chronic CH at the age of 44 years and after 8 years he developed cataract. This is the first report of cataract in patient suffering of CH and occurring in the eye affected by the pain attack.

Keywords: Cluster headache, Cataract, Pain, Degenerative disease

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Conflict of interest

None.

Footnotes

No financial support received.

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