Is Keratoconus A Disability?
Keratoconus is an eye disease that may or may not cause loss of visual acuity that is enough to be considered a disability. In other words, keratoconus itself is usually not a disability, but vision loss caused by keratoconus may be enough to qualify as a disability.
In the United States, if a person's visual acuity in both eyes is 20/200 or less — whether caused by keratoconus or some other condition — that person may be considered legally blind and may qualify for disability benefits.
In many cases, treatments, such as scleral contact lenses and/or corneal cross-linking, can help prevent keratoconus from causing this level of vision loss.
If you have vision loss from keratoconus, visit a keratoconus eye specialist to help determine if one of these treatment options (or possibly a cornea transplant) can help improve your visual acuity and help reduce any potential disability from keratoconus.
