A normal person has a pretty wide visual field. They can see 60 degrees inward (toward their nose), 100 degrees outward (away from their nose), 75 degrees below the horizontal, and 60 degrees above it. If you’re having trouble imagining what those numbers really mean, think about how you can often see something “out of the corner of your eye.” This ability is related to the height and width of your visual field.
But for those whose visual field is contracting, this is an impossibility. Rather than the panorama that most of us are used to, seeing for them is more like looking through a tunnel. As you might imagine, this inability to see anything that isn’t right in front of you can make even simple tasks daunting. Those with a severe visual field contraction often have trouble finding and keeping a job.
Because of this, Contraction of the Visual Field in the Better Eye is included in the Social Security Administration’s Listings of Impairments. What is the Listings of Impairments? It is a compilation of all of the disorders officially recognized by the SSA as disabilities.
For every single listing, there is a definition and a clear list of criteria a person must meet in order to qualify and get Social Security Disability benefits. In other words, visual field contraction is a recognized disability, and those who suffer from it can qualify for disability benefits.
How? There are two ways:
Match the Listing. If your problem is included in the Listings of Impairments and you meet the requirements there, you automatically qualify for benefits.
Prove Equivalency. If your issue does not precisely meet the definition and criteria from the Listings, you can still get benefits if you are able to prove that it is equal in severity to a disability that is listed.
Since it’s easier to prove that your impairment meets their criteria than it is to show equivalency, matching a listing should always be the first goal. What are the criteria?
Qualifying for Contraction of the Visual Field Benefits
In order to qualify for benefits under Listing 2.03, you need to show one of three things:
- That your visual field efficiency is at 20 percent or less. Use kinetic perimetry to prove this.
- That -22 or worse is your mean deviation. Use automated static threshold perimetry to prove this.
- The widest diameter subtending an angle around the point of fixation no greater than 20 degrees.
If those words and numbers don’t mean much to you, don’t worry. A knowledgeable Social Security disability lawyer will be able to put you in contact with an experienced eye doctor, who can test the contraction of your visual field and let you know if you meet the criteria.
There are several tests you can use:
- Saccade Testing of Visual Fields
- Electrooculography
- Twinkle Test
- Ophthalmoscopy
- Tonometry
- Automated Detection of Diabetic Retinopathy
- Ocular Ultrasound
- Tonography
- Strabismus Tests
- Fluorescein Angiography
- Electroretinography
Get positive results on one or more of these tests, and it can go a long way towards ensuring that you receive the benefits you need.
For a free legal consultation, call 800-562-9830
What If You Don’t Meet the Listing?
Of course, not everyone with serious visual field contraction issues meets the listing criteria. If you fall into this category, the best thing you can do is use the Five Step Sequential Evaluation Process.
Those who go this route can still qualify – they just need to prove that the issue they are suffering from has prevented them from working for at least 12 months. This isn’t as simple a task as meeting a Listing’s criteria, but it can be done with the help of experienced counsel.
Learn even more about the claims process by reading our Social Security Disability eBook for free
Call or text 800-562-9830 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form