Nelson has surgery to repair retinal tear

| | Comments (5) |

From UCLA:

UCLA freshman forward Reeves Nelson had laser retinopexy on his left eye today to repair a slight tear in his retina. The surgery was done at UCLA's world-renowned Jules Stein Eye Institute by Dr. Steven Schwartz.

He did not practice today and is not slated to practice tomorrow. He will be revaluated on Wednesday for Thursday's game against Oregon State (Feb. 25).

"The retinal tear was very far away from his central and meaningful peripheral vision and should not affect his ability to see the court," Dr. Schwartz said. "He is an extremely tough kid and tolerated the procedure extremely well without anaesthesia."

Dr. Schwartz said that he has consulted with Los Angeles Lakers' athletic trainer, Gary Vitti, who will assist with protective eyewear, the same worn by James Worthy.

The tear had a small amount of blood around it, indicating it was a recent injury.

Nelson took a hard face-first fall after a slam dunk in the first half of the Bruins' game at Washington State last Thursday (Feb. 18). He sustained a two-inch cut above his right eye, requiring 15 stitches. He never returned to the game. He started two nights later when UCLA visited the University of Washington.

Upon his return, Nelson was revaluated by UCLA team physician, Dr. John DiFiori, and after that consultation, Dr. DiFiori referred him to Dr. Schwartz

5 Comments

BigTime Bruin said:

Wishing this kid a speedy recovery. The docs at Jules are the best. This surg is also effective. From the read, it was a peripheral tear meaning his vision should be fine.

BigTime Keyan

Bruin in La Jolla Author Profile Page said:

Wishing Reeves a speedy recovery...Thinking back, I thought he was nuts for wanting to play a few football games his senior year. Now I know what a huge heart he has. Just love the guy.

BRUINBEATCH Author Profile Page said:

DUDE this guy has brass balls!Gotta love him!

Sleepy LaBeef Author Profile Page said:

The full quote from the doc was: "He is an extremely tough kid and tolerated the procedure extremely well without anaesthesia. He did comply with our recommendation of a shot glass of whiskey and a bullet to bite down on, however."

Reformed Droog Author Profile Page said:

Some people wear Superman pajamas. Superman wears Reeves Nelson pajamas.

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This page contains a single entry by Jon Gold published on February 22, 2010 7:54 PM.

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Reformed Droog on Nelson has surgery to repair retinal tear: Some people wear Superman pajamas. Superman wears Reeves Nelson pajam ...

Sleepy LaBeef on Nelson has surgery to repair retinal tear: The full quote from the doc was: "He is an extremely tough kid and to ...

BRUINBEATCH on Nelson has surgery to repair retinal tear: DUDE this guy has brass balls!Gotta love him! ...

Bruin in La Jolla on Nelson has surgery to repair retinal tear: Wishing Reeves a speedy recovery...Thinking back, I thought he was nut ...

BigTime Bruin on Nelson has surgery to repair retinal tear: Wishing this kid a speedy recovery. The docs at Jules are the best. Th ...

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