If the VA already service-connected your cataracts (also called cataract, cloudy lens, clouded vision, cataract surgery), it can cause or worsen other conditions that are ratable on their own. These "secondary" claims are where many veterans leave money on the table. Below is what a service-connected cataracts commonly leads to, why, and what evidence each one takes.
The General Rating Formula uses either the visual impairment the cataract causes or incapacitating episodes, whichever is higher (38 CFR 4.79):
| General Rating Formula for Diseases of the Eye: incapacitating episodes (38 CFR 4.79) | Rating |
|---|---|
| 7 or more treatment visits for an eye condition in the past 12 months | 60% |
| At least 5 but less than 7 treatment visits | 40% |
| At least 3 but less than 5 treatment visits | 20% |
| At least 1 but less than 3 treatment visits | 10% |
An incapacitating episode is an eye condition severe enough to need a clinic visit specifically for treatment (for example injections, laser, or surgery). VA uses either this table or the visual impairment the condition causes, whichever gives the higher rating.
Visual impairment is rated on corrected distance vision, measured by a licensed optometrist or ophthalmologist (38 CFR 4.75 and 4.76). If only one eye is service-connected:
| Corrected vision in the service-connected eye (other eye counted as 20/40) | Rating |
|---|---|
| 20/50, 20/70, or 20/100 | 10% |
| 20/200 or 15/200 | 20% |
| 10/200 or 5/200 | 30% |
| No more than light perception | 30%, plus SMC review |
| Anatomical loss of the eye | 40%, plus SMC review |
From the visual acuity table in 38 CFR 4.79 (DC 6063 to 6066). Under 38 CFR 4.75(c), when only one eye is service-connected the other eye is treated as 20/40 (with exceptions in 38 CFR 3.383), and 4.75(d) caps visual impairment of one eye at 30% unless the eye is lost. Vision is measured after best correction (38 CFR 4.76).
Cataracts are often claimed secondary to service-connected diabetes or to long-term steroid treatment for another service-connected condition (38 CFR 3.310). You need an eye doctor's opinion linking them. See diabetes secondaries, vision loss, and the nexus letter sample and template.
A secondary claim only works if the primary condition (cataracts) is already service-connected, and you have a nexus — a doctor's opinion that it is "at least as likely as not" the cause. Nexus letter sample and template →
A clouded lens scatters light, so the rating turns on how much your corrected vision has dropped. Cataracts are also well recognized as developing secondary to diabetes and to long-term steroid use, so if either applies to you, that is the stronger direction to claim from.
What you'd need: Corrected visual acuity measurements for each eye and an ophthalmology note documenting the cataract.
Most cataract surgery leaves an artificial replacement lens behind. If yours did not, the rating schedule routes you to the aphakia code instead, which is a different and usually better evaluation.
What you'd need: The operative report showing whether a replacement lens was implanted, and post-operative visual acuity.
Losing the ability to drive, read or work is a recognized driver of secondary depression and anxiety.
What you'd need: A mental health diagnosis and a provider opinion linking it to the vision loss.