H54.8

Legal blindness, as defined in USA

Billable / specific

H54.8 is a billable, specific ICD-10-CM code that can be used to indicate a diagnosis for reimbursement purposes in FY2027.

Inclusion terms

Note: The table below gives a classification of severity of visual impairment recommended by a WHO Study Group on the Prevention of Blindness, Geneva, 6-10 November 1972.
Note: The term 'low vision' in category H54 comprises categories 1 and 2 of the table, the term 'blindness' categories 3, 4 and 5, and the term 'unqualified visual loss' category 9.
Note: If the extent of the visual field is taken into account, patients with a field no greater than 10 but greater than 5 around central fixation should be placed in category 3 and patients with a field no greater than 5 around central fixation should be placed in category 4, even if the central acuity is not impaired.

Note: Use an external cause code following the code for the eye condition, if applicable, to identify the cause of the eye condition
Note: For definition of visual impairment categories see table below

Not coded here — never report together with this code.

Not included here — may be reported together when both conditions exist.

certain conditions originating in the perinatal period (P04-P96) (from H54)
certain infectious and parasitic diseases (A00-B99) (from H54)
complications of pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium (O00-O9A) (from H54)
congenital malformations, deformations, and chromosomal abnormalities (Q00-Q99) (from H54)
diabetes mellitus related eye conditions (E09.3-, E10.3-, E11.3-, E13.3-) (from H54)
endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases (E00-E88) (from H54)
injury (trauma) of eye and orbit (S05.-) (from H54)
injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes (S00-T88) (from H54)
neoplasms (C00-D49) (from H54)
symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified (R00-R94) (from H54)
syphilis related eye disorders (A50.01, A50.3-, A51.43, A52.71) (from H54)

Sequence the underlying condition first.