Enucleation and development of cluster headache: a retrospective study

BACKGROUND Cluster headache (CH) is a neurovascular, primary headache disorder. There are, however, several case reports about patients whose CH started shortly after a structural brain disease or trauma. Motivated by a patient who developed CH 3 weeks after the removal of an eye and by similar case reports, we tested the hypothesis that the removal of an eye is a risk factor for CH. METHODS A detailed headache questionnaire was filled out by 112 patients on average 8 years after enucleation or evisceration of an eye. RESULTS While 21 % of these patients experienced previously unknown headaches after the removal of an eye, no patient fulfilled the diagnostic criteria for CH. CONCLUSION Our data does not suggest that the removal of an eye is a major risk factor for the development of CH.