Cataracts are one of the most common vision problems in the aging veteran population — and one of the most frequently overlooked VA disability claims. If your cataracts developed during or after military service, or if they're connected to a service-related condition, disease, or toxic exposure, you may be entitled to VA disability compensation. VA rates cataracts and related lens disorders primarily under Diagnostic Code (DC) 6029, with ratings ranging from 10% to 100% based on your best-corrected visual acuity. The PACT Act also opened new presumptive pathways for veterans exposed to burn pit smoke and other toxins. This guide covers everything you need to know: the rating criteria, what evidence VA needs, how a C&P eye exam works, and how to file or increase your claim.
VA rates eye and vision conditions under 38 CFR Part 4, Schedule for Rating Disabilities, Diagnostic Codes 6000–6091. Cataracts are rated under DC 6029 (lens, crystalline, aphakia or dislocation), but several other codes may apply depending on your specific condition:
| Diagnostic Code | Condition | How Rated |
|---|---|---|
| DC 6029 | Cataracts (lens, crystalline, aphakia/dislocation) | Visual acuity, per eye |
| DC 6066 | Traumatic cataract (injury-caused) | Visual acuity, per eye |
| DC 6028 | Glaucoma (open-angle) | Visual field loss + acuity |
| DC 6061–6080 | Loss of visual acuity (various levels) | Snellen chart results |
| DC 6090 | Malignant neoplasm of the eye | Per active treatment |
| DC 6052 | Diabetic retinopathy | Visual acuity + field defects |
When cataracts cause visual acuity loss, VA rates you under whichever code produces the higher rating — either DC 6029 directly, or by analogy through the visual acuity loss codes (DC 6061–6080). The rater must always apply the code most favorable to the veteran.
Refractive errors (nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism) that simply require glasses are generally not ratable as service-connected conditions under VA policy, unless the refractive change is directly caused by a service-connected injury or disease. However, if a service-connected condition causes progressive vision loss beyond simple refractive correction, that vision loss is ratable.
Presbyopia — the age-related loss of near focusing ability that virtually all adults develop after 40 — is typically not ratable as a service-connected condition. It is considered a natural aging process, not a disability caused by service. However, presbyopia that develops in conjunction with a service-connected eye injury or disease can be considered as part of the overall vision impairment.
Under DC 6029, cataracts are not rated by a single percentage but rather through the visual acuity table at 38 CFR § 4.75–4.84. VA uses your best-corrected visual acuity in each eye (measured with your best glasses or contact lenses) and assigns ratings based on both eyes combined.
The rating process works as follows: VA measures your best-corrected visual acuity in the better eye and the worse eye separately, then cross-references both values on the Combined Rating Table for Disabilities of Both Eyes. The result is a single percentage rating.
| Better Eye (Best-Corrected) | Worse Eye (Best-Corrected) | VA Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 20/40 or better | 20/40 or better | 0% |
| 20/40 | 20/200 | 10% |
| 20/70 | 20/200 | 20% |
| 20/200 | 20/200 | 30% |
| 20/200 | Count fingers at 1 foot | 50% |
| 5/200 or less | 5/200 or less (both eyes) | 100% |
Note: these are representative examples. The full rating table at 38 CFR § 4.84 covers every combination. Visual acuity measurements like "20/200" mean you can see at 20 feet what a person with normal vision sees at 200 feet — significant vision impairment. Legal blindness begins at 20/200 in the better eye.
VA rates your vision based on your best-corrected acuity — meaning what you see with your best glasses or contact lenses. If cataract surgery or glasses can correct your vision to near-normal, your rating may be low. However, if you have residual vision loss that cannot be corrected, that uncorrectable loss drives the rating.
Some eye conditions — particularly glaucoma, retinal disease, and severe cataracts — cause visual field loss rather than simple acuity reduction. VA uses a separate rating formula for visual field defects under 38 CFR § 4.76–4.77. Visual field loss is measured with a Goldmann or Humphrey visual field test, and the degree of field restriction converts to a rating based on the Visual Field Chart in the rating schedule. If your cataracts cause both acuity loss and visual field loss, VA applies whichever rating method produces the higher result.
Understanding exactly how VA measures your vision helps you prepare for a C&P exam and ensures you aren't shortchanged on your rating.
The Snellen eye chart is the standard tool for measuring visual acuity. You read progressively smaller lines of letters from 20 feet. Normal vision is 20/20. The first number (20) is the testing distance; the second number is the distance at which a person with normal vision can read the same line. 20/200 means you need to be at 20 feet to read what a normal-vision person reads at 200 feet.
For VA rating purposes, each eye is measured separately. VA then applies the Combined Rating Table for Both Eyes to determine the combined disability percentage. Having severe vision loss in one eye but good vision in the other results in a lower rating than bilateral vision loss.
Elevated IOP is the primary risk factor for glaucoma, which often coexists with cataracts in older veterans. The C&P examiner will measure your IOP using a tonometer. While elevated IOP alone doesn't directly change your cataract rating, it can support a claim for co-existing glaucoma under DC 6028.
OCT provides detailed cross-sectional images of the retina. It's particularly useful for detecting macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and other retinal conditions that might be causing vision loss beyond the cataract itself. If you have retinal disease contributing to your vision loss, OCT results can support a higher rating.
A strong cataract claim rests on three pillars: current diagnosis, service connection, and nexus. Here's what each requires:
You need a current diagnosis of cataracts (or another ratable eye condition) from a licensed eye care provider — an ophthalmologist or optometrist. The diagnosis should specify:
You need evidence that links your cataracts to your military service. Possible service connections include:
A nexus letter is a medical opinion from a qualified provider stating that your cataracts are "at least as likely as not" related to your military service (or to a service-connected condition, for secondary claims). This is often the most critical piece of evidence. The C&P examiner provides a nexus opinion at your exam — but you can also get a private nexus letter from your ophthalmologist or a veterans medical nexus company.
Strong Medical Evidence = Higher Rating
REE Medical builds the IME/nexus documentation that VA raters require. Veterans who file with proper medical evidence get rated for what their disability actually costs them.
Get Your Medical Evidence Review →When you file a VA disability claim for cataracts or other eye conditions, VA schedules a Compensation & Pension (C&P) examination with a VA ophthalmologist or optometrist. This exam is critical — the examiner's findings directly determine your rating. Here's what happens:
The examiner will measure your best-corrected visual acuity in each eye separately. You'll be asked to read the eye chart with your best corrective lenses. The examiner records the lowest line you can read correctly on the Snellen chart. Make sure you bring your current glasses or contacts to the exam.
Important: Read only what you can genuinely see. Don't guess at letters. The rating is based on what you actually see, not your best attempt at guessing. If your vision fluctuates (as it often does with cataracts), tell the examiner.
The examiner tests your peripheral vision using a confrontation visual field test (finger counting at various angles) or, more formally, a Goldmann or Humphrey visual field test. Reduced visual fields from cataracts (particularly dense nuclear cataracts causing glare) can contribute to your overall rating.
Tonometry measures the pressure inside your eye. High IOP (above 21 mmHg) suggests glaucoma, which often coexists with cataracts. If elevated IOP is found, the examiner may refer you for additional glaucoma testing.
The examiner dilates your pupils with eye drops to examine the lens (for cataracts), vitreous, and retina directly. The examiner assesses the density and location of your cataracts, documents any retinal pathology (macular degeneration, diabetic changes, vascular occlusions), and checks the optic nerve for glaucoma changes.
The examiner prepares a Disability Benefits Questionnaire (DBQ) — the formal report sent to the VA rater. You have the right to request a copy of your DBQ (use eBenefits or VA.gov, or submit a FOIA request). Review it carefully for accuracy. If findings are missing or incorrect, you can request a new exam or submit a private nexus letter to correct the record.
Don't rely solely on what the C&P examiner documents from the exam. Bring your complete ophthalmology records including prior visual acuity measurements, OCT results, surgical records (if you've had prior cataract surgery), and any private eye doctor notes. The examiner can review your history and include it in the DBQ.
The Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act of 2022 significantly expanded VA presumptive service connection for veterans exposed to toxic substances during service. For eye conditions, this is particularly relevant in two areas:
Veterans who served in Southwest Asia (Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, etc.) on or after August 2, 1990, or in other qualifying locations, are presumed to have been exposed to airborne hazards including burn pit smoke. Burn pit combustion products include polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), heavy metals, and other substances that can cause oxidative stress damage to the eye's lens — a mechanism associated with cataract formation.
While the PACT Act's initial list of presumptive conditions focuses on respiratory cancers and certain cancers, VA continues to add conditions. Veterans with eye conditions potentially linked to burn pit exposure should file claims and argue the nexus — a private nexus letter from an ophthalmologist explaining the biological mechanism can be powerful evidence.
Veterans exposed to ionizing radiation during service — including nuclear test participants, atomic veterans, and veterans who worked with X-ray equipment — have a recognized increased risk of posterior subcapsular cataracts. Radiation-induced cataracts are specifically listed in 38 CFR § 3.309(d) as a radiogenic disease for which presumptive service connection is available. Veterans with qualifying radiation exposure do not need to prove causation — they need only demonstrate the qualifying exposure and current diagnosis.
While Agent Orange is not directly linked to cataracts as a presumptive condition, veterans exposed to Agent Orange who have diabetes (a recognized Agent Orange presumptive condition) can claim cataracts as secondary to their diabetes, which is secondary to Agent Orange exposure — a valid secondary service connection chain.
Cataracts — and the vision loss they cause — can produce secondary disabilities that are separately ratable. Filing for secondary conditions can significantly increase your overall combined rating.
Vision loss from cataracts substantially increases fall risk. Studies show that cataract patients are significantly more likely to fall, and fall-related injuries are common in veterans with vision impairment. If you have a service-connected cataract condition and you've developed balance problems or increased fall frequency related to your vision loss, you can file for these secondary conditions.
Vision loss has a well-documented association with depression and anxiety. Losing the ability to drive, read, recognize faces, or perform activities you love is devastating. Veterans with service-connected vision loss who develop depression or anxiety as a result can file for these conditions secondary to their eye condition. A psychiatrist or psychologist's nexus letter connecting your mental health symptoms to vision loss is key evidence.
Eye strain from reduced vision, glare sensitivity from cataracts, and the constant effort of trying to compensate for poor vision can cause chronic headaches. Headache disorder secondary to a service-connected eye condition is ratable.
While not a separate diagnostic code, the functional impairment from vision loss affects your overall employability and daily function. If your vision loss prevents you from working, Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU) may be available — even with a rating below 100% — if your service-connected vision disability prevents you from maintaining substantially gainful employment.
Not Rated for Secondary Conditions?
Secondary conditions linked to your service-connected eye condition can substantially increase your overall rating. REE Medical can review whether you're leaving conditions — and compensation — on the table.
Review Secondary Conditions →Cataract surgery is one of the most common and successful surgical procedures performed. Understanding how surgery affects your VA rating is important before and after you undergo the procedure.
If you file your cataract claim before surgery, VA rates you based on your current (pre-surgical) visual acuity. Dense cataracts can cause significant vision loss — 20/200 or worse — that yields a 30%, 50%, or higher rating.
After cataract surgery with intraocular lens (IOL) implantation, many veterans achieve near-normal vision (20/20 to 20/40). If surgery restores your vision to near-normal, your rating will typically drop — sometimes to 0%. This is legally correct under VA rating rules, because ratings are based on current functional impairment, not the fact that you had surgery.
Not all cataract surgeries produce perfect outcomes. Possible complications include:
If your vision after surgery remains significantly impaired due to complications, document those outcomes carefully. Your post-surgical best-corrected visual acuity — whatever it is — determines your rating going forward.
Older cataract surgeries (pre-IOL era) removed the cloudy lens without implanting a replacement. This condition — aphakia — is specifically named in DC 6029. Aphakia causes severe refractive error that cannot be fully corrected with glasses alone. Veterans with aphakia may retain significant correctable and uncorrectable vision problems that warrant ongoing ratings.
Filing a VA disability claim for cataracts uses the same process as any disability claim. Here's the step-by-step:
Cataracts are progressive — they worsen over time without treatment. If your VA-rated cataract condition has worsened since your original rating, you can file for an increased rating.
File a Supplemental Claim (VA Form 20-0995) with new and relevant evidence showing that your condition has worsened. Updated ophthalmology records showing decreased visual acuity, enlarged visual field defects, or new complications are the most direct evidence of worsening. If your best-corrected acuity has declined since your last rating, a new rating examination should reflect that.
Veterans who have had successful cataract surgery but later develop posterior capsule opacification or other complications — and whose vision has declined again — should file for a rating increase with updated eye exam records.
David served 22 years in the Army as an infantryman, deploying to Southwest Asia three times. He was always aware that he squinted more than his fellow soldiers in bright conditions — a problem he chalked up to getting older. After retiring at 52, David's vision started declining steadily. His optometrist diagnosed bilateral nuclear cataracts — the type that develops from UV radiation and oxidative stress, exactly the kind of exposure David had over two decades of outdoor service.
David filed for VA disability, but his initial claim was denied. The C&P examiner stated there was "insufficient evidence" linking his cataracts to service. David hired an accredited VA attorney and obtained a private nexus letter from an ophthalmologist who documented the biological pathway between chronic UV exposure during combat deployments and nuclear cataract formation. The private nexus specifically referenced David's military occupational specialty (11B Infantry), his deployment locations, and the lack of adequate UV eye protection issued during his early deployments.
On appeal, VA reversed the denial. David was granted 30% bilateral service connection based on his pre-surgical acuity measurements. After cataract surgery, his rating was adjusted, but the service connection was maintained — and when he developed secondary depression related to vision anxiety and fall fear, he filed a supplemental claim and received an additional 30% for that condition.
David's lesson: get the nexus right. The diagnosis was never the issue — it was proving the connection to service. A single well-documented medical opinion changed everything.
VA rates cataracts under Diagnostic Code 6029. Ratings range from 10% to 100% based on your best-corrected visual acuity in each eye cross-referenced on the Combined Rating Table for Both Eyes. A 10% rating applies when vision is mildly impaired (e.g., one eye at 20/40, other at 20/200). A 100% rating requires near-total blindness in both eyes.
Yes. Veterans exposed to ionizing radiation during service have presumptive service connection for radiation-induced cataracts under 38 CFR § 3.309(d). Veterans with chronic UV exposure during outdoor combat service can establish direct service connection with a nexus letter from an ophthalmologist. PACT Act burn pit claims are also being processed for eye conditions.
Yes. VA rates your eye condition based on best-corrected visual acuity after all treatment including surgery. If surgery restores your vision to near-normal, your rating typically decreases. If you have surgical complications causing residual vision loss, your post-surgical acuity determines the rating. Always document your vision outcomes carefully after any eye surgery.
VA uses DC 6029 for cataracts (lens, crystalline, aphakia or dislocation) and DC 6066 for traumatic cataracts. When vision acuity loss is the primary finding, VA may rate by analogy under DC 6061–6080. The rater must apply the code that produces the highest applicable rating.
You need: (1) a current diagnosis from an ophthalmologist or optometrist showing visual acuity measurements, (2) evidence of in-service cause or exposure (injury, radiation, toxic exposure, or service-connected diabetes), and (3) a nexus letter or C&P examiner opinion linking your cataracts to service. Snellen chart visual acuity results are essential for rating purposes.
Yes. If you have service-connected diabetes mellitus, cataracts secondary to diabetes qualify for secondary service connection. You need a medical opinion from an ophthalmologist stating that your cataracts are "at least as likely as not" caused by or related to your service-connected diabetes.
Editorial Standards: Written by claim.vet Editorial Team, a veterans benefits researcher specializing in 38 CFR Part 4 and VA rating schedule analysis. Verified against current 38 CFR Part 4 and VA.gov guidance. Last reviewed: June 2026. Not legal advice — for representation, consult a VA-accredited attorney.
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