Your doctor noted in your medical records that you've been advised not to drive. The first noticeable symptom of keratoconus is mild blurry vision (or progressively worsening vision) that's not easily corrected by glasses or contacts. Page published on Thursday, January 10, 2019. This leads to reduced vision. Memory Loss, Confusion, Alzheimer's, Dementia, Depression, ADHD. Here's How. Making ends meet in the meantime only adds stress to an already stressful life transition. If you are requesting a patient guide, visit: KC Patient Guides. Bills add up quickly, particularly for patients that have lost their job and their health insurance along with it. Jun 03, 2014 #1. If you have a medical condition that causes progressive vision loss. But if you're experiencing significant vision loss, you might be able to get benefits. Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone. This can result in significant vision impairment. This is Attorney Advertising on Behalf of Our Attorney Subscribers It most commonly develops in . An easy way to apply for Social Security disability benefits is to file your claim online at www.ssa.gov/applyfordisability/. I've had blurred vision for 5 years. This essentially means the SSA believes you cannot work in any job due to your functional limitations. What Is Included In My Disability Application With Vision Loss? So, you may earn more than the SGA of $2,460 per month, but after the deductions, you may earn less than the SGA and still qualify for disability benefits. Progressive keratoconus can be treated by corneal collagen cross-linking. Check it out here. A common finding in keratoconus is the loss of collagen in the cornea. DDS, or Disability Determination Services, is the state-level agency that makes decisions on SSD and SSI claims for the Social Security Administration. So, even if you don't meet one of Social Security's listings, you might still be found disabled under Social Security's other rules. How will Social Security Determine if you get Disability Benefits? This test is used to measure the thinnest areas of the cornea. | Sitemap | Privacy Policy. During the trial period, you must report your earnings, work activity, and your expenses to the SSA. The cornea is the clear, outer layer at the front of your eye. Early stages can be treated with glasses, but with progression of the disease into late childhood and early adulthood, corneal transplantation may be needed to restore sight. What makes keratoconus get better and worse? Keratoconus generally begins at puberty and progresses into the mid-30s. For more information, see our article on how Social Security uses your RFC to decide whether there are jobs you can do. They may also allow a better contact lens fit. Others may be able to self-accommodate if given flexibility to adjust the lighting near their workstation. To qualify for disability benefits, your vision loss or blindness must meet one of the following listings: If you are blind and receive disability and you are older than 55, the determination rules that are used by the SSA arent the same ones that are used for those who arent blind. Out-of-Town Patients. There is no cure for keratoconus. Not sure how else to describe it, I just stare at people in the waiting room . What is Keratoconus? Keratoconus is a disease of the cornea of the eye where the cornea thins and bulges outward, causing blurred vision. [3] [5] Usually both eyes are affected. In our practice 58% of keratoconus patients travel from out of town (including out of state and out of the country). He or she can also determine any gaps in your medical documentation and fill in those gaps by completing evaluations according to SSA documentation standards. Use our disability calculator to see how much you could be able to earn in disability benefits. They treat the disease, but not cure it. I understand that keratoconus typically takes place over time and usually in teen agers and adults in their 20s. Eye disabilities are very complex to rate. Question B. I may have PTSD- how can I be sure? In this article about VA disability for Gulf War Syndrome If your income declined as your vision deteriorated, you can exclude the most recent quarters of earnings from your Social Security record. Social Security might request this type of testing if, for instance, your eyes show no abnormalities during an examination and you have no history of neurological damage, yet you scored 20/200 on your Snellen chart test. A need for frequent changes in eyeglass prescriptions. If you are blind and receiving disability benefits, you may want to try to return to work at some point. How can I get help? If you meet the medical criteria outlined by the SSA for the respective Blue Book listing, as well as meet the work requirements for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), the SSA will consider your eye problem as a disability and you will be able to start earning Social Security disability. I dont read all posts every login and will gravitate towards those I have more info on. In this step, you generally need to suffer from moderate to extreme limitations to be considered unable to do most jobs. Keratoconus occurs in approximately one in 2,000 individuals, typically beginning in puberty and progressing into the mid-30s. While these two programs are different, the medical requirements are the same. Although, other factors come into play, a person with advanced Keratoconus has a strong likelihood for success. How Can I Prevent My Keratoconus From Getting Worse? The Veterans Crisis Line can help even if youre not enrolled in VA benefits or health care. Once treated, the next step is to improve vision with contact lenses. As of 2023, that is $1,470 per month for those who are disabled but arent blind. Non-blind disabled workers can earn up to $1,470 per month. Note that if you have one eye with vision worse than 20/200 and one eye with better vision than 20/200 (with glasses or contacts), you won't qualify under this listing (more on this below). You may be able to earn more than you initially believe and continue receiving disability benefits. To get past this step, you have to have an impairment that interferes with basic work-related activities. If you have keratoconus, you may be sensitive to glare and light. For people who lose their sight later in life, the costs of blindness include not only adaptive expenses like those mentioned above, but also astronomical medical bills. Your use of this website constitutes acceptance of the Terms of Use, Supplemental Terms, Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy. Once your application is complete, Social Security will send your file to your state's Disability Determination Services (DDS) office. Copyright Disability-Benefits-Help.org 2023. Initial symptoms can be slight blurring or distortion of vision even when wearing glasses or contact lenses. Under SSDI rules, legal blindness is determined by revealing . Symptoms. What is keratoconus? It is possible to have both at the same time. In some cases, keratoconus is diagnosed at a later age, but usually only when it is mild. Here, a claims examiner will request and review your medical records and review them. This test measures brainwave responses to visual stimuli that the doctor shows you. The cornea progressively changes its shape and becomes more and more conical. Words tend to have shadows around them or even look double. In some states, legally blind applicants receive a higher state supplement to their SSI payment than nonblind disabled people. Having a misshapen cornea can cause blurry vision and is most common among people aged 10 to 25. To file for a tax extension with the IRS, you can follow these steps: Obtain IRS Form 4868: You can get a copy . HealthTap uses cookies to enhance your site experience and for analytics and advertising purposes. Keratoconus is an eye disease that affects the structure of the cornea, resulting in loss of vision. Since this disease is slow in progression, could it be conceivably caused by a head injury when I had an accident involving a fork truck that went off of a 6-feet high loading dock backwards? In fact, most claims that Social Security approves don't meet the criteria of one of the listings. a history of any treatments you've tried and whether they helped or caused side effects. Answer (1) Upendra Gupta 30th Oct, 2019. After taking 90 days of short-term disability, a person may need to apply for long-term disability. If your keratoconus causes more than a minimal effect on your vision, it's enough to pass this screening test. If you could show that no other family members (if you aren't adopted) don't have the same issue, or better yet, a DNA analysis, to bolster it, that would be iron clad. This process allows us to remove spam and other junk posts before hitting the board. Those 9 months which dont have to be consecutive allow a disabled individual to determine if he or she is capable of earning a living again. You can be blind and one eye and could qualify for Social Security disability benefits Even if you dont meet the SSAs criteria for blindness, such as being blind in one eye, you may still qualify for Social Security disability benefits if you being blind in one eye makes it impossible for you to work full time. SSDRC.com is not the Social Security Administration and is not associated or affiliated with SSA. Increased sensitivity to bright light and glare, which can cause problems with night driving. ~Abraham Lincoln Individuals with keratoconus often experience near-sightedness, blurry vision, distorted images, and . Every 60 months, disabled workers have a 9-month trial work period. The cornea becomes weaker and changes shape over time. and our A production worker who loses his sight, for example, cannot return to the production floor after a medical leave. As part of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), JAN represents the most comprehensive job accommodation resource available. Early stages can be treated with glasses, but with progression of the disease into late childhood and early adulthood . Many people wonder is blindness a disability? Financial Assistance For Disabled Family Members, Coping With Cervical Cancer and What Benefits Are Available. Social Security will notify you of the decision by mail. However, some members have heard back sooner. With treatment, your eyesight can usually be corrected, giving you clear vision. I have seen very irregular astigmatism confused with keratocon Because of the degree and extent of the "cone" and the irregular. Corneal collagen cross-linking is a procedure designed to stop the progression of keratoconus or slow it down. Private fees for treatment are R25000 for both eyes , R12 500 for one eye. ", Social Security considers symptoms that affect vision under listings 2.02, 2.03, and 2.04 for vision loss or blindness. Slit-lamp exam. 1 found this answer helpful | 1 lawyer agrees Pachymetry. For example, to meet the criteria for being legally blind, your vision cant be corrected to better than 20/200 in your better eye or if your visual field is 20 degrees or less in your better eye for a period that lasted or is expected to last at least 12 months. After the claims examiner feels that your file has sufficient evidence to make a decision, a medical consultant (doctor or optometrist) decide whether you are legally blind. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Medical Conditions - Eligibility for Disability Benefits, After You're Approved for Disability Benefits, Workers' Compensation Benefits Information, State-Specific Information for Workers Compensation, Medical Conditions - Eligibility for Disability Benefits, vision loss or blindness listing requirements here, how Social Security decides if you have the ability to perform some other type of work, applying for Social Security disability benefits, Medical Conditions - Eligibility For Disability Benefits, After Youre Approved For Disability Benefits, State-Specific Information For Workers Compensation, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, halos or glares surrounding bright lights, age (usually begins in teenagers, less commonly in adults over 30), constant eye inflammation from allergies or eye irritants, and, your medical records prove your medical condition is severe, your symptoms meet the requirements of one of Social Security's listings, and. If you have little education or skills that you could transfer to another job, it's possible that Social Security might find that there is no work you could be expected to do. And it must be expected to last twelve months or longer. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); gform.initializeOnLoaded( function() {gformInitSpinner( 1, 'https://nkcf.org/wp-content/plugins/gravityforms/images/spinner.svg', true );jQuery('#gform_ajax_frame_1').on('load',function(){var contents = jQuery(this).contents().find('*').html();var is_postback = contents.indexOf('GF_AJAX_POSTBACK') >= 0;if(!is_postback){return;}var form_content = jQuery(this).contents().find('#gform_wrapper_1');var is_confirmation = jQuery(this).contents().find('#gform_confirmation_wrapper_1').length > 0;var is_redirect = contents.indexOf('gformRedirect(){') >= 0;var is_form = form_content.length > 0 && ! 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i have keratoconus can i apply for disability