Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Harry Reid dons sunglasses, says he has some vision in injured eye

Harry Reid

Amber Phillips

Harry Reid, who injured his eye earlier this year, wears a pair of sunglasses during a press event on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2015.

After two months of wearing an eye patch over his right eye, an on-the-mend Sen. Harry Reid showed up to work today sporting a new look: sunglasses.

“We’re working on my beauty here,” he said jokingly.

Reid, the Nevada Democrat and Senate minority leader, wore the shades in place of his patch at all his public appearances with reporters today at the Capitol.

A nearly swollen-shut right eye was visible behind the sunglasses. A Reid aide said the glasses are a prescription pair his wife, Landra, brought to work. (He’s worn them at events in Las Vegas before.)

It’s not clear if the appearance of glasses means the bandage is gone for good.

“I’ve got these on, and tomorrow we’re going to try some other things,” Reid told reporters. “I can see out of my right eye, just not very well.”

The 75-year-old has undergone two surgeries to try to recover vision in his right eye after an exercise band he was using New Year’s Day snapped and catapulted him into a set of bathroom cabinets. Besides damaging his eye, he smashed his brow bones, broke four ribs and suffered a concussion.

The accident has called into question whether Reid will run for a sixth term in the Senate in 2016. Reid has stated private and publicly he will run.

But the media’s attention today was less on his political ambitions and more on comparing Reid to Internet memes and sunglass-wearing movie characters.

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