ICD-10

From parent levels

ChapterVIIDiseases of the eye and adnexaOpen

Exclusions

  • certain conditions originating in the perinatal period (P00-P96)
  • certain infectious and parasitic diseases (A00-B99)
  • complications of pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium (O00-O99)
  • congenital malformations, deformations and chromosomal abnormalities (Q00-Q99)
  • endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases (E00-E90)
  • injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes (S00-T98)
  • neoplasms (C00-D48)
  • symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified (R00-R99)
BlockH53-H54Visual disturbances and blindnessOpen
CategoryH54Visual impairment including blindness (binocular or monocular)Open

Note

For definition of visual impairment categories see table below.

Exclusions

H54.9

CategoryResidualBlock H53-H54Chapter VII

Unspecified visual impairment (binocular)

Coding note

The table below gives a classification of severity of visual impairment recommended by the Resolution of the International Council of Ophthalmology (2002) and the Recommendations of the WHO Consultation on “Development of Standards for Characterization of Vision Loss and Visual Functioning" (September 2003)

For characterizing visual impairment for codes H54.0 to H54.3, visual acuity should be measured with both eyes open with presenting correction if any. For characterizing visual impairment for codes H54.4 to H54.6, visual acuity should be measured monocularly with presenting correction if any.

If the extent of the visual field is taken into account, patients with a visual field of the better eye no greater than 10° in radius around central fixation should be placed under category 3. For monocular blindness (H54.4), this degree of field loss would apply to the affected eye.

Category

Presenting distance visual acuity

Worse than:

Equal to or better than:

0 Mild or no visual impairment

6/18

3/10 (0.3)

20/70

1 Moderate visual impairment

6/18

3/10 (0.3)

20/70

6/60

1/10 (0.1)

20/200

2 Severe visual impairment

6/60

1/10 (0.1)

20/200

3/60

1/20 (0.05)

20/400

3 Blindness

3/60

1/20 (0.05)

20/400

1/60*

1/50 (0.02)

5/300 (20/1200)

4 Blindness

1/60*

1/50 (0.02)

5/300 (20/1200)

Light perception

5 Blindness

No light perception

9

Undetermined or unspecified

* or counts fingers (CF) at 1 metre.

Note: The term visual impairment in category H54 comprises category 0 for mild or no visual impairment, category 1 for moderate visual impairment, category 2 for severe visual impairment, categories 3, 4 and 5 for blindness and category 9 for unqualified visual impairment. The term "low vision" included in the previous revision has been replaced by categories 1 and 2 to avoid confusion with those requiring low vision care.

Inclusions

  • Visual impairment category 9.
Parent: H54 Visual impairment including blindness (binocular or monocular)