WingmanOpen the free toolsWingmanOpen the free toolsIf the VA already service-connected your vision loss (also called vision loss, losing my vision, losing my sight, lost my vision), 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 vision loss commonly leads to, why, and what evidence each one takes.
A secondary claim only works if the primary condition (vision loss) is already service-connected, and you have a nexus — a doctor's opinion that it is "at least as likely as not" the cause. More on nexus letters →
Losing vision takes driving, reading and often work with it. Secondary depression and anxiety off that loss is well recognized.
What you'd need: A mental health diagnosis and a provider opinion connecting the mood symptoms to the vision loss.
Poor vision raises fall risk, and a documented fall that injures a knee, hip or back can be claimed as secondary. This one needs a clear paper trail, so we are rating it as a lower-likelihood link.
What you'd need: Treatment records for the fall itself that connect it to the vision loss, plus imaging or range-of-motion findings for whatever was injured.
Once vision loss reaches the level the VA treats as blindness or loss of use of an eye, special monthly compensation can be payable on top of the regular rating. Ask specifically about it rather than assuming the rating decision considered it.
What you'd need: Corrected visual acuity and visual field measurements for both eyes from a VA or private ophthalmologist.