H54

Header — not billable

Blindness and low vision

The ICD-10 code for blindness and low vision is H54.

H54 is a non-billable header code. It groups related conditions but cannot be used on its own for reimbursement — select one of the 9 more specific codes below.

Clinical notes

Code first

This code represents a manifestation of an underlying disease. Coding convention requires the underlying (etiology) code to be sequenced first, with this code listed second.

any associated underlying cause of the blindness

Excludes1 (not coded here)

An Excludes1 note is a pure exclusion: the excluded condition and this code should never be reported together, because the two conditions cannot occur at the same time (e.g. a congenital form vs. an acquired form of the same disease).

amaurosis fugax (G45.3)

Documentation support

General coding-documentation guidance — not a substitute for payer-specific requirements or professional coding judgment.

•This is a non-billable header code. Documentation must support a more specific child code before this diagnosis can be reported on a claim.
•Confirm the excluded condition(s) listed above are not also present — Excludes1 conditions cannot be coded together with this one.
•This code represents a manifestation. Documentation should identify the underlying condition, which must be coded first.
•As a general rule, code to the highest level of specificity supported by the documentation in the medical record.

Child codes under H54

Related codes in this category

H53Visual disturbancesnon-billable header
H54Blindness and low visionnon-billable header