Macular Degeneration Disability Claims

Macular degeneration is a chronic and common eye disease that often leads to central vision loss. If this condition severely impairs your ability to work, you might need to file macular degeneration disability claims with a disability insurance company and the Social Security Administration.

Understanding Macular Degeneration

The macula is within the center of the retina, and when its tissues begin to deteriorate, it can lead to blurred or blind spots within the field of vision. Macular degeneration is the leading cause of central vision loss in individuals aged 50 and up and is primarily an age-related retinal condition. There are two primary types of age-related macular degeneration (AMD): dry and wet.

Dry Macular Degeneration

The dry type affects nearly 80-90% of people with AMD. Its cause is unknown, and it tends to progress slower than the wet type. In this condition, small yellowish protein deposits form on the retina below the macula, causing it to dry out and deteriorate over time. As the deterioration of the macula continues, a person’s central vision also deteriorates. Sometimes, the dry form of AMD can change to the wet form.

Wet Macular Degeneration

Wet macular degeneration affects around 10% of patients with age-related macular degeneration. In this condition, abnormal blood vessels beneath the retina start to grow toward the macula, breaking, bleeding, and leaking fluid. This damages the macular and lifts it, pulling it away from its base. The result is often rapid or severe vision loss.

Juvenile Macular Degeneration

Besides the two main types of age-related macular degeneration, juvenile macular degeneration is a type of macular degeneration affecting children and young adults. Several inherited and rare diseases that affect central vision often start in childhood, including Stargardt’s disease, Best disease, and juvenile retinoschisis.

Disability Claims for Macular Degeneration

Macular degeneration is pretty distressing and frightening. Many patients become legally blind, whereby only the peripheral vision functions, but relying solely on peripheral vision can lead to mistakes in the workplace and adverse safety issues. As your condition progresses and your visual field efficiency reduces, you will likely lose the ability to work.

However, disability insurance carriers and the SSA are often reluctant to approve disability claims for various eye impairments, and macular degeneration is no exception. In many instances, they claim that macular degeneration disability claims fail to adequately support limitations that prevent a person from working. You need strong medical evidence to support your claim

You should undergo testing with a professional ophthalmologist or optometrist. The testing requires reading from a chart using corrective lenses or undergoing visual evoked response testing. This helps to prove the challenges of your visual field. Your application should include all the medical records that demonstrate your visual impairment.

You must also demonstrate that your visual impairment resulting from your macular degeneration prevents you from working. A disability examiner will examine your vocational history, determine your past work’s mental and physical demands, and decide whether you can perform your past work or be retrained for another type of work despite your limitations.

Long-Term Disability for Macular Degeneration

Many employers offer long-term disability benefits as part of an employee benefits package. You can also obtain an individual disability insurance policy, also known as private disability insurance. If you cannot work, you may qualify for disability insurance benefits from your insurance company.

If you have lost your vision because of AMD and your long-term disability claim has been denied, it makes sense to talk to the attorneys at Ortiz Law Firm. We help individuals with wrongfully denied or terminated long-term disability claims. If your insurance company has denied your claim or terminated benefits prematurely, we can help with the appeal process and, if necessary, help prepare and file a lawsuit against the insurance company.

Social Security Disability for Macular Degeneration

Understanding how the Social Security Administration (SSA) evaluates claims to determine eligibility is also helpful. The SSA blue book has listed the qualifying medical conditions and the requirements for their approval. Macular degeneration may not be listed in the Blue Book, but there are listings related to vision loss:

• Listing 2.02 Loss of Visual Acuity requires the “remaining vision in the better eye after best correction is 20/200 or less.”
• Listing 2.04 Loss of Visual Efficient, or Visual Impairment, in the Better Eye requires ” a visual efficiency percentage of 20 or less after best correction (see 2.00.A7d) OR a visual impairment value of 1.00 or greater after best correction (see 2.00A8d)

When evaluating a claimant’s visual acuity and efficiency, the SSA will look at test results of your better eye with corrective lenses. It is not a matter of whether you have been diagnosed with macular degeneration but whether your central or peripheral vision is poor enough to limit your activities.

How a Disability Attorney Can Help

A disability attorney can help you bridge the gap between your diagnosis and your resulting limitations. They will gather and review all the supporting evidence to determine if you meet the criteria to qualify for disability benefits. If any details are missing, the attorney will ensure you obtain the necessary proof, such as test results, treatment notes, and attending physician statements detailing your symptoms and limitations. They will also work with you to avoid mistakes that could jeopardize your case.

At Ortiz Law Firm, we have represented hundreds of clients in long-term disability appeals and lawsuits and Social Security Disability claims. We will obtain all the medical evidence necessary to help you qualify for benefits. We have custom residual functional capacity forms specific to macular degeneration symptoms, treatment, and side effects, which we will send to your doctor. Most importantly, there are no fees unless we win your case.

Get Help from a National Disability Attorney at Ortiz Law Firm

We offer a free case review so you can seek help with your claim without paying any fees upfront. We will assess your claim and give realistic expectations. You will also be acquainted with a realistic timetable for your macular degeneration disability claim.

Call Ortiz Law Firm today at (888) 321-8131 to schedule a free, no-obligation case review. You can also submit a brief description of your claim through our website, and we will contact you as soon as possible to discuss your AMD disability case.