Can You Get Social Security Disability Benefits for Glaucoma?

Glaucoma is the medical term for a group of eye conditions that can result in blindness by damaging the optic nerve, which connects the eye to the brain. Because glaucoma doesn’t usually present with symptoms, most people don’t know they have the condition until they’ve been diagnosed after an eye exam. When caught early, medical interventions such as eye drops or surgery can slow or stop the progression of glaucoma, but when left untreated, it can lead to irreversible damage to the optic nerve.

The Social Security Administration (SSA) recognizes that once your vision has declined past a certain point, many jobs become difficult, if not impossible, to perform. So if your glaucoma keeps you from working full-time for at least one year, you may qualify for disability benefits. Before you apply, it’s a good idea to know what the agency’s standards are for getting disability and how you can increase your chances of a successful claim.

Is Glaucoma a Disability?

Social Security awards disability benefits to people who have a medically determinable impairment that keeps them from earning at or above the level of substantial gainful activity for twelve months or more. (20 C.F.R. § 404.1505 (2026).) People who apply for disability based on glaucoma have likely lost a significant amount of peripheral (side) vision and sometimes their central vision as well. Even with corrective lenses, they might not be able to see well enough to perform work-related tasks such as reading and typing.

If your glaucoma is severe enough to keep you from working for at least one year, you can qualify for disability in one of two ways: by meeting one of Social Security’s “Blue Book” listings for loss of visual acuity, or by showing that your vision loss prevents you from performing any jobs. Disability claims that have vision test results documenting a greatly diminished ability to see are more likely to “meet a listing,” while less severe instances of vision loss can still be disabling if they cause functional limitations that rule out all work.

How Can I Get Disability Benefits for Glaucoma?

You’ll need to have certain vision tests conducted in order to diagnose glaucoma and determine how poor your vision is. Visual field tests evaluate how wide of an area you can see by having you respond to certain lights or shapes in the center and sides of your eyes. Snellen methodology—the familiar eye chart with a large E on the top—is frequently used to measure your visual acuity (how well you can see straight ahead).

Qualifying for Disability Benefits by Meeting a Vision Listing

If the results of your vision tests fall within certain parameters indicating very significant glaucoma, you might qualify for benefits automatically (what Social Security calls “meeting a listed impairment”). The SSA has three listings for vision loss, whether caused by glaucoma or another condition:

• Listing 2.02, loss of central visual acuity
• Listing 2.03, contraction of visual fields, and
• Listing 2.04, loss of visual efficiency.

Central visual acuity means how well you can see looking at something straight ahead while wearing corrective lenses such as glasses or contacts. Contraction of visual fields means that your range of vision—the amount you can see on the sides—is reduced. Loss of visual efficiency is a combination of having poor central acuity and a narrow field of vision. For more information, see our article on getting disability for visual field loss.

Qualifying for Disability Benefits by Showing Reduced Functional Capacity

Many people with glaucoma don’t have the severely restricted vision necessary to meet the listing requirements. But you can still qualify for disability benefits if you can show that your poor vision prevents you from returning to your past work and keeps you from working all other jobs.

Social Security determines whether you can work by first assessing your residual functional capacity (RFC). Your RFC is a set of limitations on what activities you can safely perform in a work environment. For example, somebody with glaucoma or other visual impairments might have an RFC containing the following restrictions:

• no working at unprotected heights
• no driving of commercial vehicles
• no climbing ladders, ropes, or scaffolds
• no operating heavy machinery, and
• no working in low light conditions.

The agency doesn’t usually award benefits based on an RFC with only visual restrictions, because jobs exist in significant numbers that don’t involve exposure to the above hazards. But if you have other physical or mental limitations due to multiple medical conditions, your RFC can rule out all work, and the agency can find you disabled.

Disability Benefits for Blindness Caused by Glaucoma

Depending on how poor your vision is, you might be considered legally blind. If you’re legally blind and awarded Social Security disability benefits, you might be eligible for a higher payment from your state for Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Additionally, you’re allowed to earn up to $2,830 per month before your income is considered substantial gainful activity (as opposed to the $1,690 limit for nonblind disabled workers). For more information, see our article on filing for disability for partial or total blindness.

VA Benefits for Glaucoma

Veterans who are on continuous medication for service-connected glaucoma may qualify for a minimum 10% VA disability rating. Under the VA Schedule for Rating Disabilities (38 C.F.R. §4), angle-closure glaucoma is assigned a diagnostic code of 6012, while open-angle glaucoma has a diagnostic code of 6013. Both types of glaucoma are evaluated under the General Rating Formula for Diseases of the Eye, which allows for ratings of 10%, 20%, 40%, or 60%, depending on how severe your glaucoma is. For more information, see our article on how VA disability ratings work.

Applying for Disability Benefits for Glaucoma

Social Security offers several ways to apply for disability benefits:

• File online at the SSA’s website.
• Call the SSA at 800-722-1213 from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. If you’re deaf or hard of hearing, you can call the TTY number at 800-325-0778.
• Visit your nearest Social Security field office.

The VA application process works much in the same way. Visit our article on filing for veterans disability benefits for more information.

Do I Need a Lawyer?

The disability determination process can be lengthy and often frustrating. Consider getting help from an experienced disability attorney or advocate. Your lawyer can help gather evidence needed to document your glaucoma, handle communication with the SSA or VA, and represent you at a disability hearing. Disability attorneys don’t get paid unless you win and many offer free consultations, so there’s little risk in asking around to find a lawyer who’s a good fit for you.