Reid to undergo surgery to restore vision in injured eye

By Amber Phillips

Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2015 | 1:16 p.m.

U.S. Sen. Harry Reid will undergo surgery Monday to help restore full vision in his right eye, which he injured earlier this month while exercising, according to his office.

Reid found out after a doctor’s appointment Tuesday that he would need the surgery, which will be conducted at George Washington University Hospital in Washington, D.C.

“Sen. Reid is expected to be released from the hospital quickly following the surgery,” spokeswoman Kristen Orthman said in a statement. “But under doctor’s orders to minimize strain in his right eye, he will have to work from his D.C. home next week.”

The Nevada Democrat fell Jan. 1 when a resistance band he was using to exercise at his home in Henderson snapped and hit him in the face, causing him to hit part of the equipment and fall. He broke multiple bones near his right eye and several ribs.

His ribs are healing well, and Reid will maintain a busy schedule next week as his eye heals, Orthman said.

Reid told KNPR that blood pooled in his right eye after the accident, which has at least temporarily cost him his vision. He said return of his vision isn’t “a slam dunk.”

Reid has been working from home since the start of the new Congress on Jan. 6. On Tuesday, he stopped by Capitol Hill for the afternoon to lead Senate Democrats’ weekly policy luncheon — where senators cheered him. He watched the president’s State of the Union address from home.

Reid is expected to work in his Senate office on Thursday, as well, Orthman said in the statement.

Reid is up for re-election next year. He told KNPR the injury hasn’t changed his mind about running for a sixth term, despite being a top target for Republicans.

Over the weekend, his campaign sent out a fundraising email highlighting Reid’s work promoting clean energy in Nevada and halting plans to store the nation’s nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain.