H54 — Blindness and low vision
Not billable
Is H54 billable?
No — H54 is a non-billable header code. H54 groups more specific codes and cannot be submitted on a claim. A valid ICD-10-CM code must be reported at the highest level of specificity available in its branch. Select one of the 44 billable codes beneath H54.
Billable codes under this header
- H54.3Unqualified visual loss, both eyes
- H54.7Unspecified visual loss
- H54.8Legal blindness, as defined in USA
- H54.10Blindness, one eye, low vision other eye, unspecified eyes
- H54.40Blindness, one eye, unspecified eye
- H54.50Low vision, one eye, unspecified eye
- H54.60Unqualified visual loss, one eye, unspecified
- H54.61Unqualified visual loss, right eye, normal vision left eye
- H54.62Unqualified visual loss, left eye, normal vision right eye
- H54.0X33Blindness right eye category 3, blindness left eye category 3
- H54.0X34Blindness right eye category 3, blindness left eye category 4
- H54.0X35Blindness right eye category 3, blindness left eye category 5
- H54.0X43Blindness right eye category 4, blindness left eye category 3
- H54.0X44Blindness right eye category 4, blindness left eye category 4
- H54.0X45Blindness right eye category 4, blindness left eye category 5
- H54.0X53Blindness right eye category 5, blindness left eye category 3
- H54.0X54Blindness right eye category 5, blindness left eye category 4
- H54.0X55Blindness right eye category 5, blindness left eye category 5
- H54.1131Blindness right eye category 3, low vision left eye category 1
- H54.1132Blindness right eye category 3, low vision left eye category 2
- H54.1141Blindness right eye category 4, low vision left eye category 1
- H54.1142Blindness right eye category 4, low vision left eye category 2
- H54.1151Blindness right eye category 5, low vision left eye category 1
- H54.1152Blindness right eye category 5, low vision left eye category 2
- H54.1213Low vision right eye category 1, blindness left eye category 3
- H54.1214Low vision right eye category 1, blindness left eye category 4
- H54.1215Low vision right eye category 1, blindness left eye category 5
- H54.1223Low vision right eye category 2, blindness left eye category 3
- H54.1224Low vision right eye category 2, blindness left eye category 4
- H54.1225Low vision right eye category 2, blindness left eye category 5
- H54.2X11Low vision right eye category 1, low vision left eye category 1
- H54.2X12Low vision right eye category 1, low vision left eye category 2
- H54.2X21Low vision right eye category 2, low vision left eye category 1
- H54.2X22Low vision right eye category 2, low vision left eye category 2
- H54.413ABlindness right eye category 3, normal vision left eye
- H54.414ABlindness right eye category 4, normal vision left eye
- H54.415ABlindness right eye category 5, normal vision left eye
- H54.42A3Blindness left eye category 3, normal vision right eye
- H54.42A4Blindness left eye category 4, normal vision right eye
- H54.42A5Blindness left eye category 5, normal vision right eye
- H54.511ALow vision right eye category 1, normal vision left eye
- H54.512ALow vision right eye category 2, normal vision left eye
- H54.52A1Low vision left eye category 1, normal vision right eye
- H54.52A2Low vision left eye category 2, normal vision right eye
H54 at a glance
| Code | H54 |
|---|---|
| Description | Blindness and low vision |
| Billable | No — header code |
| Code set | ICD-10-CM FY2027 |
| Valid for encounters | October 1, 2026 – September 30, 2027 |
Excludes1 — never code together
The conditions below can never be reported together with H54 on the same claim. An Excludes1 note means the two conditions cannot occur in the same patient, so reporting both is a coding error.
- amaurosis fugax (G45.3)
Code first
The underlying condition below must be sequenced before H54. H54 describes a manifestation and cannot be the principal or first-listed diagnosis.
- any associated underlying cause of the blindness
Note
- For definition of visual impairment categories see table below
Excludes2 — not included here — inherited from Chapter 7
The conditions below are not part of H54, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, H54 and the excluded code may both be reported.
- certain conditions originating in the perinatal period (P04-P96)
- certain infectious and parasitic diseases (A00-B99)
- complications of pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium (O00-O9A)
- congenital malformations, deformations, and chromosomal abnormalities (Q00-Q99)
- diabetes mellitus related eye conditions (E09.3-, E10.3-, E11.3-, E13.3-)
- endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases (E00-E88)
- injury (trauma) of eye and orbit (S05.-)
- injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes (S00-T88)
- neoplasms (C00-D49)
- symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified (R00-R94)
- syphilis related eye disorders (A50.01, A50.3-, A51.43, A52.71)
What codes fall under H54? (9)
- H54.0Blindness, both eyesnot billable
- H54.1Blindness, one eye, low vision other eyenot billable
- H54.2Low vision, both eyesnot billable
- H54.3Unqualified visual loss, both eyes
- H54.4Blindness, one eyenot billable
- H54.5Low vision, one eyenot billable
- H54.6Unqualified visual loss, one eyenot billable
- H54.7Unspecified visual loss
- H54.8Legal blindness, as defined in USA
How long has H54 existed?
H54 has been in ICD-10-CM since at least FY2016, the earliest fiscal year on record here.
Derived from the official order files for FY2016–FY2026. FY2017 and FY2020 publish no order file, so those years are not covered.
Which codes are confused with H54?
ICD-10-CM declares these codes mutually exclusive with H54 — exactly one of each pair can be correct for a given encounter.