The Board denied service connection for a bilateral eye disability, including ptosis of the left eye and decreased visual acuity of both eyes. The Veteran's left eye ptosis was found to be a congenital defect not aggravated by service. His diagnosed refractive error is excluded from VA compensation due to its nature as a condition that is not defined as a disease or injury.
The deciding factor: The Board determined that the Veteran's left eye ptosis was a congenital defect and not subject to aggravation in service, while his bilateral decreased visual acuity (refractive error) is excluded from VA compensation due to its nature as a condition that is not defined as a disease or injury.
- Claimed conditions
- ptosis of the left eye, bilateral refractive error
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 2, 2018
- Citation
- 18115554
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 18115554.
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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 refractive error and bilateral ocular hypertension (glaucoma) as there is no evidence of a superimposed disease or injury during service, and his current conditions are not related to his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's eye disabilities, specifically bilateral cataracts, bilateral dry eye with epiphora, bilateral watery eyes, bilateral refractive error, and left eye scotoma.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's eye conditions are aggravated by his service-connected diabetes mellitus.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for ptosis of the left eye was denied. The current 10 percent rating is based on impairment of visual field, but no other conditions warranting a higher rating are present.
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