Glaucoma decisions — 2023

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete VA-accessible treatment records and additional development is needed.

The Board has granted service connection for hypertension, peripheral neuropathy of bilateral upper and lower extremities (including as secondary to service-connected hypertension), residuals of strokes (secondary to service-connected hypertension), bilateral glaucoma (secondary to service-connected hypertension), and low back disorder (secondary to service-connected left knee disability).

The Veteran's claim for increased ratings for diabetic retinopathy with macular edema, open angle glaucoma, and cataracts is remanded due to the need for additional development of non-VA treatment records.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral glaucoma and/or cataracts, finding that there is no direct or secondary link to military service, including herbicide exposure.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for a VA examination and additional medical records.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for glaucoma, cataracts, and dryness in his right eye. The evidence does not support a finding that these conditions are related to his military service.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate examination and for further development, including scheduling a new VA eye examination.

The Board denied service connection for a disability of the eyes, other than bilateral photophobia, including large optic cups, bilateral refraction error, optic atrophy, open angle glaucoma, and vitreous floaters (bilateral eye disability).

The Board has decided to remand the claims for service connection for bilateral eye disability, back disability, and cervical spine disability due to inadequate VA opinions in previous decisions. The claims will be reviewed again with new addendum opinions addressing causation and aggravation.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the onset and relationship of the Veteran's eye conditions to his military service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for diabetic retinopathy has been granted. The issue of service connection for an eye disability other than diabetic retinopathy (glaucoma and cataracts) is remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for left eye glaucoma and prosthetic left eye was granted with an effective date of November 19, 1980.

The Board has granted service connection for right knee disorder, left knee disorder, low back disorder, and bilateral glaucoma.,Service connection is granted for the Veteran's current right knee, left knee, and low back disorders based on in-service injuries during Reserve component training (IDT).

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to a change in law regarding causation standards and because of insufficient reasoning provided by previous opinions. The Veteran's vertigo, anemia, obstructive sleep apnea, eye disability, and GERD are all being reviewed again with new medical opinions.

The Board has decided to remand the case for additional development, including obtaining an addendum opinion from a VA-contracted examiner regarding whether the Veteran's vision impairment is related to his service-connected diabetes mellitus.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's glaucoma, specifically whether it is related to service or aggravated by his diabetes.

The appeal is dismissed for the claims of bilateral hearing loss, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, left leg amputation, peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, sleep apnea, stroke, glaucoma, and cataracts. The remaining issues are remanded for further development.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and an eye condition, to include glaucoma. The decision found that there was no current disability for VA purposes in the case of bilateral hearing loss and that the Veteran's statements regarding in-service incurrence were not credible in the case of his eye condition.

The Board has remanded the service connection claims for ischemic heart disease, diabetes mellitus type II, and loss of vision/open angle glaucoma/cataracts/choroidal nevus, claimed as secondary to concussion residuals. The Veteran's representative argued that a VA examination was inadequate due to lack of review of medical literature and potential need for a neuro ophthalmologist's opinion.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional VA treatment records and private medical records related to the Veteran's eye conditions.