Vision
Vision & Eye Conditions
Impaired visual acuity and field of vision rated under §4.79
Eye disabilities are rated on impairment of visual acuity and field of vision under §4.79, Codes 6000–6091. Many are secondary to service-connected diabetes (retinopathy), TBI, or headaches — and light sensitivity from migraines or TBI is frequently overlooked.
What Vision & Eye Conditions Really Is
Vision loss changes what you can do for a living and how safely you move through the world. Glaucoma, cataracts, retinopathy, corneal scarring, traumatic eye injury, or field loss after a brain injury. The VA rates eyes on two things: how much central vision you have lost, and how much of your visual field is gone.
What it actually means
Vision loss changes what you can do for a living and how safely you move through the world. Glaucoma, cataracts, retinopathy, corneal scarring, traumatic eye injury, or field loss after a brain injury. The VA rates eyes on two things: how much central vision you have lost, and how much of your visual field is gone.
What the VA measures
The eye criteria in 38 CFR 4.75 through 4.79 rate impairment of central visual acuity based on corrected distance vision in each eye, and visual field defects on the extent and pattern of loss. There are also ratings for incapacitating episodes of eye disease, and specific provisions for anatomical loss of an eye and for aphakia.
Why claims get missed
Visual field loss is rated separately from acuity, and it is the piece most often skipped. Veterans with normal reading vision can have serious field loss from glaucoma or a brain injury and never get a formal field test. Incapacitating episodes of active eye disease are also separately ratable, and anatomical loss or blindness in one eye can trigger special monthly compensation.
What in Your Service Causes Vision & Eye Conditions
Service connection is not a feeling, it is a chain of evidence. These are the pathways the VA already recognises. Find yours, then make sure your file says it out loud.
Service-connected diabetes
Diabetic retinopathy is a leading cause of vision loss and a direct secondary claim from a service-connected metabolic condition.
Traumatic brain injury and blast exposure
Visual field defects, convergence insufficiency, and light sensitivity are common TBI residuals with their own rating routes.
Chemical, laser, and welding exposure
Documented occupational eye exposure in service supports direct service connection for corneal and retinal damage.
Direct eye trauma
Fragment injury, chemical splash, or blunt trauma recorded in service leads to cataract, scarring, and glaucoma years later.
Steroid therapy for another service-connected condition
Long-term corticosteroids cause cataracts and raise intraocular pressure.
Rated on Acuity and Field of Vision
Eye disabilities are evaluated under §4.79 primarily on two measures: corrected central visual acuity and impairment of the field of vision. Specific diseases — glaucoma, uveitis, keratitis, retinopathy — carry their own diagnostic codes (6000–6091) and may add ratings for incapacitating episodes or required continuous medication. Because the evaluation is built on measured findings, a current, complete eye exam is essential.
The Secondary Eye Claim
Many ratable eye conditions are secondary. Diabetic retinopathy flows from service-connected diabetes; light sensitivity, double vision, and visual disturbances frequently accompany TBI and migraine conditions. Under §3.310, an eye condition caused or aggravated by a service-connected disability is itself service-connected. Veterans with diabetes or TBI often have eye involvement that was never separately claimed.
What to Document
Corrected visual acuity and field-of-vision measurements
Diabetic retinopathy secondary to diabetes (§3.310)
Photophobia and double vision with TBI or migraines
Incapacitating episodes or required continuous medication
Establishing Service Connection
To establish service connection for a eye condition, veterans must meet three criteria. First, there must be a current diagnosis. Second, there must be evidence of an in-service injury, event, or exposure that could have caused or aggravated it. Third, a nexus — a medical link — must connect the in-service event to the current condition.
Current diagnosis of the eye or vision condition
In-service injury, event, or exposure
Medical nexus linking the condition to service ("at least as likely as not")
Records of corrected visual acuity and any field loss
Specialist (ophthalmology or optometry) evaluations
Why Work With an Accredited Advocate
Veterans should seek the assistance of an Accredited VA Disability Advocate because we guide you through the complex claims process and ensure all necessary evidence is gathered and presented effectively. Our advocates are trained to identify and link service-related conditions, increasing the likelihood of a successful claim. We also provide personalized representation, helping veterans navigate appeals and secure the benefits they deserve. As a VA-Accredited Claims Agent, our fees are regulated under 38 CFR §14.636 — and there are no fees unless we win your appeal.
The Rating Schedule, Spelled Out
Eye conditions are rated under 38 CFR §4.75–§4.84a and the schedule of ratings for the eye (§4.79, Diagnostic Codes 6000–6091). Most disabilities are rated on impairment of central visual acuity or of the visual field, while active disease has its own general formula.
Vision of 20/40 in both eyes.
For example, 20/50 in one eye and 20/40 or 20/50 in the other.
For example, 20/70 in one eye with 20/40 in the other, or 20/100 in one eye with 20/50 in the other.
For example, 20/100 in one eye with 20/70 in the other, or anatomical loss (blindness) of one eye with 20/40 in the other.
Progressively higher for greater bilateral loss, up to 100% for blindness (5/200 or worse, or no light perception) in both eyes.
Active disease (such as uveitis, keratitis or retinopathy) is rated on incapacitating episodes: 10% for at least one but less than three episodes per year requiring treatment, up to 60% for more than seven episodes per year — or rated on the resulting visual impairment, whichever is higher.
Key Points to Remember
Rated under 38 CFR §4.79 primarily on corrected visual acuity and visual field loss
The underlying eye disease may add its own evaluation
Document best-corrected acuity for each eye and any field defects
Some conditions may warrant Special Monthly Compensation for blindness
What to Expect at Your Eye C&P Examination
Eye claims are rated under 38 CFR §4.79 on two separate measurements — central visual acuity and visual field — and they can be rated on both. Visual acuity is scored on corrected distance vision in each eye, and the regulation requires that visual field testing be done by Goldmann kinetic perimetry or an automated equivalent, with the chart attached to the report. A field defect described in words instead of plotted on a chart cannot be rated.
Corrected distance visual acuity measured in each eye separately, and uncorrected acuity recorded as well.
Visual field testing by Goldmann kinetic perimetry or an automated equivalent, with the actual chart included in the report.
Documentation of any diplopia, and the field in which it occurs, since diplopia is separately evaluated.
Slit lamp examination, tonometry for intraocular pressure, and a dilated fundus examination.
The frequency and duration of any incapacitating episodes for conditions such as uveitis, and the treatment required.
Documentation of photophobia, dry eye, tearing, and the need for continuous medication, which supports the minimum evaluations in several codes.
A nexus opinion where the eye condition is claimed secondary to diabetes, TBI, hypertension or toxic exposure — diabetic retinopathy and post-TBI visual dysfunction are common secondary pathways.
What Happens Once the C&P Exam Is Complete
The examiner compiles a detailed report — your medical history, physical findings, and diagnostic results — and assesses the severity, symptoms, and impact of your condition. That report is sent to the VA Regional Office handling your claim and becomes part of your official file, reviewed alongside your other evidence.
The VA may send the report back for corrections, clarification, or a second opinion if it finds it incomplete or unclear. This can delay your claim, because the VA requires thorough and accurate information to decide. Your claim only moves to the decision phase once the VA is satisfied with the evidence — which is exactly why the quality of the file we build for you matters so much. Once decided, your effective date controls how far back your back pay reaches, and any denial can be challenged through a Supplemental Claim, Higher-Level Review, or Board appeal.
The Advocate’s Take
If you have service-connected diabetes or TBI, your eyes are part of the claim. Retinopathy and light sensitivity are ratable — and routinely left off the rating decision.
Every Level the VA Can Assign You
These percentages come straight out of the rating schedule that governs vision & eye conditions — Diagnostic Code 6061–6066. Read them slowly. If your current rating does not match what your records actually show, that gap is exactly what an appeal exists to correct.
0%
Vision of 20/40 in both eyes.
10%
For example, 20/50 in one eye and 20/40 or 20/50 in the other.
30%
For example, 20/70 in one eye with 20/40 in the other, or 20/100 in one eye with 20/50 in the other.
50%
For example, 20/100 in one eye with 20/70 in the other, or anatomical loss (blindness) of one eye with 20/40 in the other.
70% – 100%
Progressively higher for greater bilateral loss, up to 100% for blindness (5/200 or worse, or no light perception) in both eyes.
Secondary Claims — Both Directions
Under 38 CFR §3.310, a condition caused or made worse by an already service-connected condition is itself service connected. That runs in both directions, and it is the single largest pool of unclaimed compensation in the system.
What can cause vision & eye conditions
If one of these is already service connected, this condition can be claimed as secondary to it.
Diabetes mellitus type 2
Diabetic retinopathy and diabetic cataract.
Hypertension
Hypertensive retinopathy and increased risk of retinal vascular occlusion.
TBI
Field defects and oculomotor dysfunction from brain injury.
Steroid or medication therapy
Cataract and glaucoma from prescribed treatment for another service-connected condition.
What vision & eye conditions can cause
If this condition is already service connected, each of these is a separate claim you may be owed.
Headaches
Convergence insufficiency and eye strain drive chronic headache.
Falls and injuries
Field loss produces documented falls and new orthopedic claims.
Depression and anxiety
Progressive vision loss carries a heavy documented psychiatric burden.
Special monthly compensation
Blindness or anatomical loss of an eye triggers statutory SMC levels.
A secondary claim still needs two things: a current diagnosis of the secondary condition, and a medical opinion saying it is at least as likely as not caused or aggravated by the service-connected condition. You do not have to prove it happened in service.
Building a Vision & Eye Conditions Claim That Wins
Every claim stands on three legs. Knock one out and the claim falls over, no matter how bad your symptoms are. Before you file, look at your file and find all three.
A current diagnosis
A doctor has to say you have it, now, in writing. Not "reports symptoms of" — a diagnosis. Without this leg, nothing else in the file matters.
A link to your service
An event, an injury, an exposure, or an already service-connected condition. Service records, unit records, buddy statements, and your own account all count as evidence.
A nexus that ties the two together
A medical opinion stating it is at least as likely as not that your service caused or aggravated the condition. That phrase is a legal standard: 50 percent or better. It is the leg most denials break.
Document the problem before you file
• Keep a dated symptom log for at least 30 days. Frequency, severity, and what it stopped you from doing.
• Get statements from people who see it — a spouse, a coworker, a battle buddy. Lay evidence is legal evidence.
• Pull your private treatment records. The VA only has to help; it does not have to go find everything.
• Write down what you have stopped doing. Lost work, lost sleep, lost activities. That is what impairment looks like on paper.
Your Rights in This Process
It costs nothing to file
Filing a VA claim is free. Accredited representatives may only charge for work on an appeal after an initial decision, and those fees are capped by 38 CFR §14.636.
The VA has a Duty to Assist you
Under 38 CFR §3.159 the VA must help you get the evidence it needs, and it must tell you what is missing before it denies you for missing it.
You can ask for a different examiner
You may request a trauma-informed clinician, or a clinician of a specific gender, for a C&P examination. Ask before the exam is scheduled.
You can claim every condition you have
There is no limit and no penalty. Primary conditions, secondary conditions, and conditions made worse by service all get filed.
You can appeal and be re-evaluated
A denial is not the end. You may submit new evidence, request a higher-level review, appeal to the Board, and ask for re-evaluation when your condition worsens.
You must be considered for TDIU
If your service-connected conditions keep you from holding substantially gainful employment, you may be paid at the 100 percent rate without a 100 percent rating.
Questions Veterans Ask About Vision & Eye Conditions Claims
My reading vision is fine but I keep missing things to the side. Is that ratable?
Yes, and it may be the larger part of your claim. Visual field impairment is rated separately from central acuity. Ask for formal perimetry testing, because without it the field loss simply does not exist in your record.
Does the VA use my vision with or without glasses?
Central visual acuity is rated on corrected distance vision, so bring your current prescription to the exam. Uncorrected numbers are not what the criteria use.
My cataracts came from steroids I take for a service-connected condition. Claimable?
Yes. That is a secondary claim on medication grounds. Document the prescribing history for the service-connected condition and obtain an opinion linking the cataract to that treatment.
When You Are Ready to File
Talk to an accredited representative before you file. It costs nothing to ask, and the order you file in changes what the VA is allowed to award you. Albert L. Thombs Jr. is VA-Accredited Claims Agent #45147.
The application itself
This is the form that opens a disability compensation claim. List every condition you are claiming, and name the secondary conditions explicitly.
Release for private records
Authorises the VA to request records from your private doctors. Without it, treatment outside the VA may never reach your file.
Lay or buddy statement
The official form for your own statement and for statements from people who witnessed the event or the change in you.
Resources Worth Keeping
These are real, staffed VA lines. Tap to call from your phone.
Veterans Crisis Line
988
Then press 1. Text 838255. Available 24 hours a day, every day. You do not need to be enrolled in VA health care.
VA Benefits & Facility Line
1-800-827-1000
Claim status, general benefits questions, and help finding the right VA office.
Women Veterans Call Center
1-855-829-6636
Call or text. Staffed by women veterans who can connect you to services in your area.
Vet Centers
1-877-927-8387
Community-based counselling for combat veterans and their families. No VA enrollment required.
What This Rating Is Worth (2026)
| 10% | $180.42/mo |
| 20% | $356.66/mo |
| 30% | $552.47/mo |
| 40% | $795.84/mo |
| 50% | $1,132.90/mo |
| 60% | $1,435.02/mo |
| 70% | $1,808.45/mo |
| 80% | $2,102.15/mo |
| 90% | $2,362.30/mo |
| 100% | $3,938.58/mo |
Rates shown are the veteran-alone amounts effective December 1, 2025. A spouse, children, or dependent parents increase your payment at 30% and above. Every 10% you are under-rated can cost you thousands of dollars a year for the rest of your life.
Estimate Your Exact Pay
Veteran RepresentationYour VA Claim Exam: What to Expect
This official VBA video walks you through the entire C&P exam process. Understanding what happens in that room is the difference between a rating that reflects your true condition and one that undervalues you.
Veteran RepresentationWhat It Takes to Win These Benefits
The Three-Part Test
Service connection under 38 CFR §3.303 requires all three:
- 1A current, diagnosed disability
- 2An in-service event, injury, or exposure
- 3A medical nexus linking the two
Veteran RepresentationThe medical evidence the VA is actually looking for:
VA Claim Exams: Ophthalmological, Dental & Auditory
This exam is specific to your body system. The examiner uses a specialized DBQ for this category of conditions, and the tests they perform determine your exact rating level. Watch this before your appointment.
What to Expect at Your C&P Exam
Your Compensation & Pension (C&P) exam is not treatment. It is a rating tool. The examiner will not fix anything — they complete a Disability Benefits Questionnaire (DBQ) and check the boxes that decide your rating. What happens in that room can move your rating an entire level, so walk in prepared.
Veteran RepresentationThe Forms You File — We Prepare Them For You
These are the forms that drive this claim. Start any of them on our site and an accredited agent prepares and files it for you — correctly, the first time.
Application for Disability Compensation
The core application that opens or reopens your claim.
Start this with usStatement in Support of Claim
Your own account and buddy/lay statements that fill the gaps in your record.
Start this with usAppoint Us as Your Representative
Authorizes our accredited agent to act on your behalf with the VA.
Start this with usUnemployability (TDIU) Application
Claims 100% pay when your conditions keep you from working — even below 100%.
Start this with usDisability Benefits Questionnaire
The exam form that captures the severity criteria for this specific condition.
Start this with usSMC & TDIU — When Your Rating Isn't the Whole Story
TDIU — Paid at 100% Without a 100% Rating
Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability (38 CFR §4.16) pays you at the 100% rate when your service-connected conditions prevent substantially gainful employment — even if your combined rating is lower. You may qualify if:
- One condition is rated 60% or higher, or
- Two+ conditions combine to 70% with at least one rated 40%, and
- Those conditions keep you from holding steady, gainful work.
- Cannot meet the numbers? Extraschedular TDIU under §4.16(b) may still apply.
Special Monthly Compensation (SMC)
SMC (38 CFR §3.350) pays above the normal schedule for especially serious losses — loss or loss of use of a body part, being housebound, or needing the aid and attendance of another person. Common levels:
- SMC-K — Loss / loss of use — Add-on for loss or loss of use of a specific body part (hand, foot, eye, reproductive organ, or certain other losses). Paid on top of your regular compensation. Can stack (up to the statutory cap).
- SMC-S — Housebound — Statutory housebound: a single 100% disability plus additional disabilities of 60%+, or substantially confined to your home. Veteran-alone rate shown.
- SMC-L — Aid & Attendance — You need the regular aid and attendance of another person, or have anatomical loss/loss of use of both feet, one hand and one foot, blindness, or are permanently bedridden. Veteran-alone rate shown.
- SMC-M — Higher Aid & Attendance — A higher level of aid and attendance (e.g., loss of use of both hands, or loss of use of both legs at a higher level). Veteran-alone rate shown.
These are the benefits veterans most often leave on the table because no one told them they qualified. If any of this sounds like your situation, call an accredited agent at 702-992-4883 — we screen for SMC and TDIU on every case.
Talk to a VA-accredited claims agent about vision & eye conditions
Albert L. Thombs Jr. is a US Army veteran, VA-Accredited Claims Agent #45147, and 100% service-connected himself. He personally reviews every request. Fees are capped by 38 CFR §14.636 — and there are no fees unless you win.
Three Ways to Put an Accredited Agent on Vision & Eye Conditions
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