Glaucoma decisions — 2014

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining VA medical records and providing a VA examination to determine if the appellant's current glaucoma with legal blindness had its onset during his period of active service.

The Board found that Fuchs heterochromic uveitis and iridocyclitis, as well as related complications of glaucoma, cataracts, vitreous degeneration, and retinal detachment, did not have onset in service and are not related to the Veteran's presumed Agent Orange exposure during his service in Vietnam.

The Board has decided that further development is needed for the Veteran's claim of service connection for glaucoma of the left eye, which may be related to his diabetes mellitus. The case is being remanded to allow for a new opinion from an examiner regarding the etiology and relationship between the Veteran's conditions.

The Board found that the Veteran did not set foot in Vietnam and was not exposed to herbicides, thus denying service connection for diabetes mellitus. The Board also determined that there is no evidence of actual exposure to herbicides or any other means by which the claimed conditions could be related to service.

The Board found that the Veteran's glaucoma was not incurred in or aggravated by active service, nor proximately due to, the result of, or chronically aggravated by his service-connected persistent post-concussive syndrome.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's glaucoma was not incurred in or aggravated by service, and his bilateral shoulder disability is not related to service. The claims are therefore denied.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate opinion regarding the cause of death and its relation to service. The appellant's claim for DIC benefits is being returned for further development.

The Board has determined that the Veteran did not serve in Vietnam and therefore cannot establish herbicide exposure. The claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus, Type II; neuropathy of the lower extremities; hypertension; vision disorders (glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy); and erectile dysfunction are denied as they do not meet the criteria for direct service connection.

The Veteran's service connection claims for allergic rhinitis, left shoulder strain, and residuals of a fracture to the right little toe were granted. Service connection was also established for dry eye syndrome and bilateral eye disability (glaucoma). The Veteran's left ankle disability and associated scars are rated at 10 percent.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to determine the nature and etiology of his hearing loss, diabetes mellitus, and glaucoma.

The Board denied service connection for a heart disorder and bilateral eye disorders, finding no evidence of in-service injury or disease that could be linked to the current conditions.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral glaucoma did not have its onset in service and is not related to disease or injury incurred during active military service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical opinions regarding the nature and etiology of his sleep apnea and glaucoma.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's cataracts and glaucoma are not related to his active service, as they were not incurred or aggravated by an in-service injury, event, or illness. The preponderance of evidence is against the claim for service connection.

The Veteran seeks service connection for loss of vision in the left eye, including as due to glaucoma. The Board finds that a remand is necessary to obtain an etiological opinion regarding his claimed condition.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for glaucoma and remanded it for further development.

The Board has remanded the case for another medical opinion to address the etiology of the Veteran's claimed vision loss, including glaucoma and cataracts. The VA examiner must consider the relationship between diabetes mellitus and glaucoma and cataracts.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further development, including a new VA examination and adjudication of the issues of service connection for left eye glaucoma and entitlement to a temporary total evaluation based on right eye glaucoma requiring convalescence after surgery.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for glaucoma as secondary to his service-connected diabetes mellitus due to insufficient evidence supporting a link between the two conditions.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical evidence and need for further development, including obtaining SSA records and scheduling a VA examination.