The Board has determined that the Veteran's current left eye dry eye syndrome was not caused by service, and therefore denied his claim for service connection.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found no objective evidence to support a diagnosis of conjunctivitis during service, and concluded that it is less likely than not that the Veteran’s current bilateral dry eye syndrome was incurred in or caused by an in-service injury, event or disease, including treatment in March 1986 for conjunctivitis during service.
- Claimed conditions
- left eye dry eye syndrome
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 23, 2020
- Citation
- 20074904
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for right and left eye recurrent infections and dry eye syndrome, but remanded the claims for left eye pinguecula and nuclear sclerosis and right eye nasal pterygium and nuclear sclerosis for further development.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, effective from the date of the February 2025 rating decision.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a medical examination to determine if the Veteran's current neck strain is related to his in-service activities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a rating in excess of 70 percent for PTSD due to an inadequate medical opinion.
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