Glaucoma Board decisions

The Board finds that the Veteran is entitled to service connection for tinnitus due to exposure to acoustic trauma during active service. The right eye disability remains unclear and requires further examination. The total and permanent rating for the right knee replacement will be addressed in a separate decision.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development and consideration of issues including secondary service connection for an eye disability, initial rating for PTSD, and TDIU.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right eye disability, including vision loss and open angle glaucoma, is not service-connected due to lack of a superimposed injury or disease during service. The other conditions (bilateral pseudophakia and dry eye) are also not service-connected.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for a videoconference hearing, and further proceedings are required.

The Board has remanded the case for scheduling a videoconference hearing at the RO. The Veteran's appeal includes claims related to various conditions and disabilities, including tinnitus, glaucoma, allergic rhinitis/sinusitis, esotropia, diplopia, hearing loss, hypertension, GERD, and prostate cancer.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including an addendum opinion from a VA examiner regarding the etiology of the Veteran's left eye disability and its relationship to his service-connected conditions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for service connection for open angle glaucoma and compound astigmatism due to incomplete medical records, lack of authorization for private medical records, and need for additional clarification regarding diagnoses and etiology.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including obtaining missing service treatment records and providing medical opinions regarding the etiology of his right ear hearing loss.

The Board found that the cause of death, septic shock due to positive blood culture for staphylococcus, was not causally or etiologically related to service or a service-connected disability. The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not substantially or materially contribute to the cause of his death.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeals regarding the increased ratings for labyrinthitis, peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity, peripheral neuropathy of the left lower extremity, bilateral glaucoma and cataracts (claimed as eye disorder), type 2 diabetes mellitus with hypertension and erectile dysfunction (ED), and coronary artery disease (CAD).

The Board has determined that the Veteran's currently diagnosed glaucoma is related to military service and has granted service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his bilateral eye disability is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and conducting a VA examination. The case will be referred to the Under Secretary for Benefits or Director of Compensation Service for consideration of an extraschedular rating.

The Board denied service connection for a left eye disability, finding that the Veteran's condition was not incurred or aggravated by active duty service and is not etiologically related to any incident of service.

The Board found that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not cause his death. The VA examiner opined that the Veteran's blindness, gunshot wound scar on the left leg, and scars of the face and forehead did not contribute to his death.

The Board has remanded the case for a more thorough examination of the Veteran's eyes to determine the nature and etiology of any eye disability, including whether it is related to service exposure or superimposed disease/injury.

The Board has granted service connection for glaucoma secondary to diabetes mellitus, type II. The Veteran's other eye disabilities (epiretinal membrane/lamellar hole OS, choroidal nevus OS, cataracts OU, nonexudative macular degeneration OU, and refractive error with presbyopia OU) are not service connected as they were not caused or aggravated by a service-connected disability.

The Veteran is seeking service connection for his eye disability, including glaucoma and cataracts, which he claims are related to his service-connected hypertension. The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to obtain an adequate medical opinion regarding the relationship between the Veteran's eye disability and his service-connected condition.

The Board found that the Veteran's glaucoma is not caused or aggravated by his service-connected diabetes mellitus disability, and thus denied the claim for service connection.

The Board found that the Veteran's current eye disorders, including bilateral cataracts and glaucoma suspect in both eyes, are more likely due to natural aging and diabetes than to a reported in-service injury involving acid from tank batteries. The Veteran's myopia at entry into service is considered a congenital defect.