VA Disability Rating for Vision Loss: Snellen Chart, Acuity & Field Loss Guide (2026)

How VA Rates Vision Loss: The Basic Framework

VA uses a unique binocular rating system for vision loss that differs from how most other disabilities are rated. Rather than rating each eye independently and combining percentages, VA evaluates both eyes together through a two-step process:

1. Step 1: Measure best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) in each eye separately using the Snellen chart
2. Step 2: Assign a Roman numeral value (I through XI) to each eye's acuity using the Visual Acuity Table in 38 CFR Part 4
3. Step 3: Cross-reference both eyes' Roman numeral values on the Combined (binocular) Table to find the combined disability rating

This system reflects the reality that binocular vision — how both eyes work together — determines functional visual disability more accurately than single-eye measurements alone. A person with excellent vision in one eye and no vision in the other has significantly better functional vision than someone with severely reduced acuity in both eyes.

The Snellen Chart and Visual Acuity Measurement

The Snellen chart — the familiar eye chart with rows of letters that get progressively smaller — is the standard tool for measuring distance visual acuity. Acuity is expressed as a fraction: 20/X, where 20 is the standard test distance in feet, and X is the smallest line the patient can read accurately. A person with 20/20 vision can read at 20 feet what a normal eye can read at 20 feet. A person with 20/200 vision can only read at 20 feet what a normal eye can read at 200 feet.

Snellen Acuity Values and What They Mean

The Roman numeral system allows VA to create the binocular combined table. Each eye receives a Roman numeral (I through XI) based on its Snellen acuity, and the combined table maps both values to a disability percentage.

DC Codes: The 6061–6079 Range

VA rates visual acuity loss under Diagnostic Codes 6061 through 6079 in 38 CFR Part 4. The specific code applied depends on the underlying diagnosis causing the vision loss. Here is the breakdown:

For visual acuity conditions not specifically listed (e.g., intermediate Snellen values or underlying diagnoses like glaucoma, cataracts, macular degeneration), VA uses the Combined Table to derive the rating from the acuity measurements and then assigns the applicable DC for the underlying condition, rating it to the equivalent DC code in this range.

The VA Visual Acuity Combined Table: Reading Your Rating

The Combined Table cross-references both eyes' Roman numeral acuity values to produce a single combined disability rating. A simplified version of the most clinically significant crossover points:

The full Combined Table in 38 CFR Part 4 is more granular than this summary — it includes all Roman numeral combinations from I/I through XI/XI. Veterans should use the actual regulatory table (or have a VSO or attorney assist) to confirm the exact rating for their specific acuity measurements.

Visual Field Loss: A Separate Rating Pathway

Visual field loss — the loss of peripheral or central vision — is evaluated and rated separately from visual acuity. Visual field is measured using a perimeter (Humphrey visual field analyzer, Goldmann perimeter, or confrontation testing). The field is expressed in degrees of arc from fixation across multiple meridians.

Conditions That Cause Visual Field Loss

• Glaucoma — classic peripheral field loss progressing from the arcuate region inward; advanced glaucoma causes severe visual field constriction
• Hemianopia — loss of half the visual field, typically from brain injury affecting the visual cortex or optic tract; blast TBI is a leading military cause
• Quadrantanopia — loss of one quarter of the visual field, from partial optic tract or cortical damage
• Retinitis pigmentosa — progressive peripheral field loss; a hereditary condition but sometimes aggravated by service conditions
• Central scotoma — loss of central vision from macular damage; rated separately under DC 6079
• Diabetic retinopathy — can cause both central and peripheral field loss; may be secondary to service-connected diabetes

How VA Rates Visual Field Defects (DC 6080)

VA rates visual field defects under DC 6080 based on the extent of field loss measured by perimetry:

The 5-degree concentric constriction rating (100%) is significant — when both visual acuity and visual field are severely compromised, the combined rating can reach or approach 100% even without complete anatomical loss of the eye.

Central Scotoma (DC 6079)

A central scotoma — loss of the central visual field — is rated under DC 6079. The central field is tested differently than peripheral fields, often using the Amsler grid or specific macular function tests. VA rates central scotoma:

• Scotoma affecting central 2 degrees: 10%
• Scotoma affecting 2–5 degrees: 20%
• Scotoma affecting more than 5 degrees: 30%

Combining Acuity Loss and Field Loss: The Whole Person

When a veteran has both visual acuity loss AND visual field defects — from the same or different service-connected causes — both are rated and combined using VA's combined ratings formula under 38 CFR § 4.25.

Example: A veteran with 20/200 acuity in the worse eye (10% from acuity alone) and homonymous hemianopia from TBI (30% from field loss). Using the standard combined ratings formula: 100% - [(100% - 30%) × (100% - 10%)] = 100% - [70% × 90%] = 100% - 63% = 37%, rounded to 40%.

This combined approach can significantly increase the overall vision rating compared to either element alone. Veterans with both acuity reduction and field defects should ensure both are evaluated at their C&P examination and both are claimed separately.

Blindness Thresholds and the 100% Rating

VA's rating system provides 100% ratings for the most severe vision loss conditions. Understanding these thresholds is important because the transition from high partial ratings (60-80%) to the 100% category involves specific clinical criteria:

100% Rating Criteria for Vision

Note that "5/200" visual acuity — sometimes described as "count fingers at 5 feet" — is considerably worse than the civilian legal blindness standard of 20/200. A veteran with 20/200 acuity is considered legally blind in the civilian context but would only be at the V level on VA's Roman numeral scale. VA's 100% threshold for acuity-based blindness requires 5/200 or worse — a far more severe level of impairment.

Special Monthly Compensation for Severe Vision Loss

When vision loss is so severe that the veteran cannot participate in normal activities of daily living, Special Monthly Compensation (SMC) becomes available. VA provides SMC-K (additional compensation for loss of use of a creative organ or similar scheduled loss) in some vision contexts, and SMC-L through SMC-T for veterans requiring aid and attendance or who are housebound due in part to severe vision disability. Veterans who are essentially blind and need assistance navigating their environment may qualify for SMC-L (aid and attendance), which pays substantially more than the 100% schedular rate alone.

Common Military Causes of Vision Loss

Blast Injury and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

Blast injury is the leading cause of vision loss in post-9/11 combat veterans. The overpressure wave from improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and other blast weapons can cause a spectrum of eye and visual system injuries:

• Ocular blast injury — direct eye trauma from blast wave, foreign bodies, or secondary fragmentation; can cause globe rupture, retinal detachment, vitreous hemorrhage, traumatic cataract, and corneal laceration
• TBI-related visual dysfunction — blast TBI damages the visual pathways in the brain (occipital cortex, optic radiations, optic chiasm) causing homonymous hemianopia, visual field defects, diplopia (double vision), and other neuro-ophthalmic conditions
• Oculomotor dysfunction from TBI — cranial nerve III, IV, or VI injury from TBI causes eye movement disorders (paresis, palsy) that produce chronic diplopia and disability

Chemical and Laser Exposure

• Mustard gas and lewisite — World War I and II era chemical weapons exposure can cause chronic corneal damage and progressive vision loss; eligible for direct service connection
• Military laser exposure — training lasers, target designators, and laser range finders at insufficient safe distances can cause permanent laser retinal injury (photic maculopathy)
• Chemical burns — tear gas, riot control agents, and industrial chemical exposures during service

Secondary Vision Loss from Service-Connected Conditions

• Diabetic retinopathy secondary to service-connected type 2 diabetes (including Agent Orange-presumptive diabetes under 38 CFR § 3.309(e)) — can cause severe vision loss ratable under the acuity and field loss tables
• Hypertensive retinopathy secondary to service-connected hypertension
• Medication-related vision effects — certain medications prescribed for service-connected conditions can affect vision; secondary to the primary SC condition under 38 CFR § 3.310
• PACT Act cancers affecting the eye or visual pathway — orbital or ocular tumors secondary to toxic exposure

Documentation for a Successful Vision Claim

Medical Records Required

• Complete ophthalmological examination report — including best-corrected visual acuity measurements for each eye, using Snellen chart values at the standardized test distance
• Perimetry (visual field testing) — Humphrey or Goldmann field report with the actual field printout or report; automated perimetry provides numerical data directly comparable to VA's rating criteria
• Anterior and posterior segment examination — slit-lamp examination, dilated fundus examination, intraocular pressure measurements
• Diagnostic imaging — OCT (optical coherence tomography) for macular or retinal conditions; orbital CT or MRI for traumatic injury or structural pathology
• Nexus letter from an ophthalmologist or neuro-ophthalmologist connecting the vision loss to the specific military event or service-connected condition
• Neurology or neuro-ophthalmology records if TBI-related visual dysfunction is claimed

Service Records and In-Service Evidence

• Service treatment records documenting any in-service eye injuries, eye complaints, or notations of vision problems
• Records of blast exposure incidents — casualty reports, MEB/PEB records, combat action documentation
• For laser exposure: records of laser-related training incidents or documented use of laser systems without adequate eye protection
• DD-214 and separation physical records — vision measurements at separation establish a baseline

Special Monthly Compensation for Vision-Related Disability

Veterans whose vision loss results in specific functional losses may qualify for SMC above the schedular 100% rate. Vision-specific SMC considerations include:

• SMC-K — loss of one eye (anatomical loss) combined with other qualifying losses of creative organs or specific body parts; the SMC-K amount is added to the combined rating, not substituted for it
• SMC-L (Aid and Attendance) — veterans who are essentially blind and require another person's assistance to move around safely, perform daily activities, or avoid hazards qualify for SMC-L; blindness or near-blindness commonly meets the aid and attendance criteria
• SMC-M through T — higher-level SMC categories that may apply when blindness combines with other severe disabilities

For veterans who lose vision in combat and receive VA care, the Blind Rehabilitation Service program provides comprehensive vision rehabilitation, guide dog programs, and adaptive equipment. Connection to the VA Blind Rehabilitation Service does not affect your disability rating and should be pursued independently of the rating process.

Veterans with vision problems related to their military service should also review our guide on VA vision care and eye care benefits for information on VA healthcare entitlements for vision conditions. Veterans with TBI-related vision problems may benefit from our broader discussion of PACT Act and burn pit exposure VA claims if their TBI was service-connected through toxic exposure.