If the VA already service-connected your vision loss (also called losing my vision, losing my sight, lost my vision, blurry 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.
VA rates visual impairment on three things: visual acuity, visual field, and muscle function (38 CFR 4.75). The exam must be done by a licensed optometrist or ophthalmologist, and acuity is rated on corrected distance vision (38 CFR 4.76). Developmental errors of refraction are excluded. The examiner has to name the disease or injury causing the loss.
| 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).
When both eyes are service-connected, the rating comes from the combination of both on the same chart (DC 6061 to 6066). Examples from 38 CFR 4.79:
| Corrected vision, both eyes | Rating |
|---|---|
| 20/40 and 20/40 | 0% |
| 20/50 and 20/50 | 10% |
| 20/70 and 20/70 | 30% |
| 20/100 and 20/100 | 50% |
| 20/200 and 20/200 | 70% |
| 10/200 and 10/200 | 90% |
| 5/200 and 5/200, or no more than light perception in both | 100% |
Visual field loss (DC 6080) and double vision (DC 6090) are rated on their own tables or converted to an equivalent acuity.
The acuity chart flags the most severe levels for SMC review. Under 38 CFR 3.350(a), SMC-K is paid for blindness of one eye having only light perception, in addition to your regular compensation, and higher SMC levels apply to severe loss in both eyes (38 CFR 3.350). Ask VA to address SMC specifically.
Common causes with their own guides: cataracts, glaucoma, dry eye, diabetes, TBI.
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. Nexus letter sample and template →
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.