H54.8 Description: Legal blindness, as defined in USA Exclude1:
legal blindness with specification of impairment level (H54.0-H54.7)
Notes:
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.
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.
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.
Inclusion Term:
Blindness NOS according to USA definition
↓
H54 Description: Blindness and low vision Exclude1:
amaurosis fugax (G45.3)
Code First:
any associated underlying cause of the blindness
Notes:
For definition of visual impairment categories see table below
↓
H53-H54 Description: Visual disturbances and blindness (H53-H54) ↓
H00-H59 Description: Diseases of the eye and adnexa Exclude2:
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)
Notes:
Use an external cause code following the code for the eye condition, if applicable, to identify the cause of the eye condition