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.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner provided an opinion that the current decrease in vision is attributable to bilateral cataract development rather than the reported in-service injury, which was treated without sequelae and did not affect his ability to see when evaluated by the VA.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral myopia, posterior subcapsular cataract (right eye greater than left eye), glaucoma suspect in both eyes, mild xanthelasma (left lower lid greater than right upper lid)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 12, 2017
- Citation
- 1701003
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 1701003.
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.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral myopia, finding that it is a congenital defect and not related to military service.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeal before the Board could make a decision on the claims. The Board dismissed the appeal as a result.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for TMJ disorder, bilateral hearing loss, abrasion of the left cornea, and bilateral myopia. However, it granted a 100 percent disability rating for major depressive disorder with PTSD.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew her appeals for all listed conditions, resulting in the dismissal of these claims.
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