Veterans’ RightsAn independent resource for veterans
← All decisions
Denied

The Board denied service connection for a bilateral eye disability, to include glaucoma, as there was no credible evidence of an injury in service.

The deciding factor: The VA examiner opined that the veteran's primary open angle glaucoma and photophobia were at least as likely as not related to any injury in service. However, there is no credible evidence of an injury in service, which precludes a finding of service connection.

Claimed conditions
Bilateral eye disability (including glaucoma, photophobia, cataracts, and scars in the left eye)
How they argued it
Direct service connection
Exposure basis
None
Rating assigned
None in this decision
Decision date
January 29, 2009
Citation
0903163

Veterans Law Judge

H. N. SCHWARTZ

Decisions by this judge: 2,480 · Granted: 26% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)

Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.

This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 0903163.

What this means for you

A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.

What you can do next

Related decisions

Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.

Free starter guide for your own claim

Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.

We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.

We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.

This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.