The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral eye disability, including cataracts and presbyopia, finding that there is no evidence of a disease or injury incurred in or aggravated by service.
The deciding factor: The Board found that refractive errors such as presbyopia are not diseases subject to VA compensation purposes and thus cannot be granted service connection. The Veteran's current eye conditions (cataracts and presbyopia) were determined to be developmental defects rather than injuries incurred in service.
- Claimed conditions
- cataract, presbyopia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 18, 2024
- Citation
- 24002822
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,044 · Granted: 21% (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 24002822.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection for fatigue was dismissed. His headaches, IBS, GERD, allergic rhinitis, sinus, and sleep apnea were all granted. The left knee disability and cataract claims are still pending.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence and a need for an addendum opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's eye disabilities, including bilateral cataracts, hypertensive retinopathy, hypermetropia, astigmatism, presbyopia, unspecified peripheral retinal degeneration, dry eye syndrome, presence of intraocular lens, old branch retinal vein occlusion, and bilateral pinguecula.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's eye issues, specifically presbyopia, are remanded for a VA examination to determine if they are related to his service.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for service connection for a bilateral eye condition is denied as there is no evidence of current disabilities related to his military service.
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