UCLA’s Reeves Nelson undergoes surgery on eye

UCLA’s basketball team received more bad news, as freshman forward Reeves Nelson underwent laser surgery on his left eye to repair a slight tear in his retina.

Nelson will be reevaluated Wednesday to determine whether he will be able to play against Oregon State on Thursday. He injured his right eye Thursday, when he landed face-first on the court against Washington State, opening a gash that required 15 stitches.

“The retinal tear was very far from his central and meaningful peripheral vision and will not affect his ability to see the court,” Dr. Steven Schwartz said in a statement. Schwartz performed the surgery at UCLA’s Jules Stein Eye Institute.

It was the right eye Nelson said that he was having difficulty seeing from during UCLA’s 97-68 loss to Washington on Sunday.

Nelson, who is averaging 11 points and five rebounds per game, also took a finger in the right eye against Kansas in December, suffering a corneal abrasion. He was elbowed in the same eye the next game against New Mexico State. Nelson was also elbowed in the eye early in the game against Washington.