People get a sudden sharp pain on one side of the head around the eyes, cheek or temple.
In addition to the sharp pain, people suffering from a cluster attack often have puffiness under the eyes, watering of the eyes, drooping of the eyelids, constriction of the pupils and a runny nose. Each cluster attack can last anywhere from 15 minutes to 3 hours and can occur up to eight times a day. The attacks occur in groups and can last for weeks or months. After this period of attacks, a person may remain cluster free for months or years. Chronic cluster headaches occur for more than one year without going away or only being gone less than two weeks.