Citation Nr: 18140307
Decision Date: 10/02/18	Archive Date: 10/02/18

DOCKET NO. 17-39 557
DATE:	October 2, 2018
REMANDED
Service connection for a right eye injury with cataract, also diagnosed as cystoid macular edema, is remanded.
REASONS FOR REMAND
The Veteran had active duty service from September 1961 to September 1964.  
1. Entitlement to service connection for a right eye injury with cataract is remanded.
The Veteran contends that shrapnel injured his right eye during a field exercise and caused a cataract.  At the time of the injury, a navy corpsman confirmed that there was debris in the Veteran’s right eye, but nothing was noted in the Veteran’s service treatment records.  An undated in-service physical condition disclosure form indicated that the Veteran had eye, ear, nose, and throat trouble.  In January 2008, a VA treatment record noted that the Veteran had a history of trauma to his right eye.  Also, the Veteran reported that he was hit with a rock on his right eye as a child.  In August 2008, the Veteran underwent a laser peripheral iridotomy.  In November 2014, the Veteran was diagnosed with cystoid macular edema.  The Veteran stated that the irritation and redness subsided after his in-service injury, but that he has had a vision impairment since his service.  Lay testimony is competent as to matters capable of lay observation.  Barr v. Nicholson, 21 Vet. App. 303, 309 (2007).  
The Board cannot make a fully-informed decision on the issue of a right eye injury with cataract because no VA examiner has opined whether the Veteran’s right eye disorder was caused by the the claimed field exercise injury.
The matter is REMANDED for the following action:
Schedule the Veteran for a VA examination.  The record must be made available to the examiner and the examiner should indicate in his/her report whether the record was reviewed.  Any indicated tests should be accomplished.  Based on a review of the record and any examination findings, the examiner should provide an opinion as to whether it is at least as likely as not that a current right eye disability is etiologically related to an in-service injury, event, or disease, including the Veteran’s reported right eye shrapnel injury incurred during a field exercise.  The examiner should also provide an opinion as to whether there is undebatable evidence of a preexisting right eye disorder, and if so, whether there is undebatable evidence that the preexisting right eye disorder was not aggravated (non-temporary worsening beyond that natural progression of the disorder) by the reported shrapnel injury incurred during a field exercise.  The examiner should provide a complete rationale for all opinions expressed and conclusions reached.  The 



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examiner is requested to especially review and address the June 2017 and July 2017 lay statements from the Veteran.
 
S. L. Kennedy
Veterans Law Judge
Board of Veterans’ Appeals
ATTORNEY FOR THE BOARD	J. Costello, Associate Counsel