New York Gov. David Paterson was diagnosed with acute glaucoma in his left eye Tuesdays after checking into a Manhattan hospital with "migraine-like symptoms."
It was the third time since 2006 that the governor has been hospitalized.
Paterson, 54, underwent an iridotomy Tuesday afternoon, a routine, outpatient laser procedure to relieve pressure on his eye, the governor's office said in a statement. The operation was not to have any long-term impact on the governor's overall health.
Paterson, who became governor of New York in March after then-Gov. Eliot Spitzer's involvement in a prostitution scandal, was due to deliver the commencement speech at Columbia University Tuesday. He was to receive a medal of excellence but his office canceled the event.
The governor is no stranger to health episodes.
In April 2006, when he was the state Senate minority leader, Paterson was hospitalized for almost 12 hours after complaining of chest pains. The tests came back normal.
And last July, when he was lieutenant governor, Paterson fainted on an airplane. He was given a clean bill of health after a heart test.
Overall, however, the legally blind Paterson has an athletic reputation — playing recreational basketball and running the New York City Marathon.
Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, a Republican, is next in line of succession and would be acting governor if Paterson were out of state, or became incapacitated or died.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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