The Board denied service connection for eye disability as the evidence did not support a finding that the Veteran's bilateral visual disturbance and cataracts began during active service or was related to an in-service injury, event, or disease. The examiner opined that the disabilities are less likely due to carbon discharge from firing weapons.
The deciding factor: The preponderance of the evidence does not support a finding that the Veteran’s eye disability is related to his military service.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral visual disturbance, cataracts
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 7, 2020
- Citation
- 20065258
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.
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The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for cataracts, finding that there was no medical evidence linking the condition to his active service or a service-connected disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
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- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a left eye disorder, including amblyopia and other conditions, as there was no evidence of aggravation beyond their natural progression during the Veteran's periods of active duty.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for pulmonary nodules and remanded the claims for hypertension, thyroid nodules, valvular heart disease, cataracts, prostate cancer, and erectile dysfunction due to missing records and inadequate opinions.
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