Katie Strang of ESPN is reporting that Kyle Okposo of the New York Islanders is recovery from a detached retina. Last week the Islanders placed Okposo on IR after having emergency surgery, but had not announced what the surgery was for until today.
Have been asked about Okposo injury recently. This might already be out there, but source confirms it is an eye injury. Detached retina
— Katie Strang (@KatieJStrang) February 3, 2015
Okposo has had a solid season with 14 goals and 44 points in 46 games. He and linemate John Tavares have been one of the best duos in the league this season, leading the Islanders to a resurgence in the standings. They currently sit atop the Metropolitan Division with 65 points and are fighting for first in the conference.
For the second time in two seasons Okposo will miss significant time due to injury. Last season Okposo went down with a lower body injury and didn’t play in the team’s final 11 games as the Islanders missed the playoffs.
In the preseason of the 2013-14 season Okposo was struck in the eye with a stick and missed a week of practice. It’s unsure if his current injury is related to the prior incident.
Detached retina injuries vary in severity, and vision in the eye can take weeks to months to fully recover. In some cases vision may never fully recover. Okposo was declared out for six to eight weeks by the Islanders, but with this type of injury it’s not clear if that timetable is reliable.
Okposo was the 7th overall pick in the 2006 NHL draft by the Islanders. He’s played in 436 career games, all with New York registering 113 goals and 298 points.
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