Blues defenseman Carlo Colaiacovo was back at the rink Thursday after being cleared by doctors to begin skating.

Colaiacovo has been out of the lineup since being hit in the eye with the puck during the Jan. 18 game vs. Los Angeles.

"It was tough, something I never wish upon anybody," Colaiacovo said Thursday. "To be able to come to the rink today and skate this morning for the second day, I consider myself grateful I didn't suffer anything worse."

A timetable for his return to the lineup has not yet been set.

"It was a really scary moment for me," he said. "It made me really appreciate the gift of having two eyes. Obviously, what could have been a lot worse, the doctors told me to have an injury to your eye, they said this was probably the best case scenario.

"I did lose my vision for a couple days, but I've made tremendous progress since the time."

Colaiacovo said that when he does return to the lineup, he'll likely wear a cage for the first couple of weeks due to the injured area still being sensitive. He says he plans to begin wearing a visor after that.

"It's made me have a reality check about wearing a visor, really making sure I continue the rest of my life with two eyes," he said. "I did escape the severity of what could have been career threatening or even life threatening. I'm not taking any chances.

Colaiacovo was placed on injured reserve on Jan. 19.