Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid returned to work in the Capitol on Tuesday, just about three weeks after suffering a painful accident while exercising in his Nevada home.
But in keeping with doctor’s orders to take it easy, the 75-year-old Democrat won’t attend President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address late in the evening and will probably listen to it on the radio instead, a spokeswoman said.
As he entered a caucus lunch, Reid told reporters he is doing “fine” and hopes to regain full vision in his seriously injured eye, which he described as “doing better.” Democratic senators greeted him with enthusiastic applause when he walked in.
Earlier, Reid walked easily across the Senate floor stopping briefly to greet staffers and chat during his first appearance in the chamber since the New Year’s Day accident that left him with shattered bones around his eye and multiple broken ribs.
Reid’s office tweeted a photo of the former boxer working at his desk with a light colored bandage over his right eye. Aside from the bandage, Reid appeared healthy.
Since the accident, he has worked from home, doing calls and meeting in person with his top leadership team.
In a recent interview with KNPR radio, Reid described how he was working out with exercise bands with the accident happened:
“The band broke and it catapulted me backwards and to one side. I crashed into a series of cabinets we have and fortunately it missed my temple by just a little tiny bit and it hit me in my right eye and it broke a number of bones around my eye and broke four ribs and a few bruises other places.”
