2026 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code A18.53Tuberculous chorioretinitis

ICD-10-CM Codes›A00–B99›A15-A19›A18

ICD-10-CM A18.53
CMSSource: CMS FY 2026 ICD-10-CM dataset · Effective Oct 1, 2025 – Sep 30, 2026

A18.53 is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for tuberculous chorioretinitis. It is valid on HIPAA claims for fiscal year 2026 (October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026) and groups to MS-DRG 124 through 125, 974 through 976. In AHRQ's Clinical Classifications Software (CCSR), this diagnosis falls under Retinal and vitreous conditions and Tuberculosis.

Code Identity

ICD-10-CM Code
A18.53
Billable Status
Yes — Valid for Submission
Code Describes
Tuberculous chorioretinitis
Short Description
Tuberculous chorioretinitis
Same as the full description in the CMS dataset.
Parent Code
A18.5
Tuberculosis of eye

Code Classification

ChapterA00–B99Certain infectious and parasitic diseases
SectionA15-A19Tuberculosis
CategoryA18Tuberculosis of other organs
This CodeA18.53Tuberculous chorioretinitis

Approximate SynonymsGuidance

Alternate terms and clinical phrases that map to this code.

  • Chorioretinitis of bilateral eyes caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis
  • Granulomatous chorioretinitis
  • Left chorioretinitis caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis
  • Right chorioretinitis caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis
  • Tuberculous chorioretinitis
  • Tuberculous disseminated chorioretinitis
  • Tuberculous posterior uveitis
  • Tuberculous uveitis

Index to Diseases and InjuriesGuidance

Alphabetical index entries that point to this code.

External Cause of Injuries IndexGuidance

References for this code in the External Cause of Injuries Index.

    • Chorioretinitis
      • in (due to)
        • tuberculosis
    • Chorioretinitis
      • tuberculous
    • Retinitis
      • tuberculous
    • Tuberculosis, tubercular, tuberculous(calcification) (calcified) (caseous) (chromogenic acid-fast bacilli) (degeneration) (fibrocaseous) (fistula) (interstitial) (isolated circumscribed lesions) (necrosis) (parenchymatous) (ulcerative)
      • chorioretinitis
    • Tuberculosis, tubercular, tuberculous(calcification) (calcified) (caseous) (chromogenic acid-fast bacilli) (degeneration) (fibrocaseous) (fistula) (interstitial) (isolated circumscribed lesions) (necrosis) (parenchymatous) (ulcerative)
      • choroid, choroiditis
    • Tuberculosis, tubercular, tuberculous(calcification) (calcified) (caseous) (chromogenic acid-fast bacilli) (degeneration) (fibrocaseous) (fistula) (interstitial) (isolated circumscribed lesions) (necrosis) (parenchymatous) (ulcerative)
      • retina, retinitis

Clinical ClassificationClinical

AHRQ’s CCSR groups this code into broader clinical categories.

CCSR EYE005
Retinal and vitreous conditions
Default principal diagnosis: inpatient No · outpatient No
CCSR INF001
Tuberculosis
Default principal diagnosis: inpatient Yes · outpatient Yes

Patient EducationClinical

Retinal Disorders

The retina is a layer of tissue in the back of your eye that senses light and sends images to your brain. In the center of this nerve tissue is the macula. It provides the sharp, central vision needed for reading, driving and seeing fine detail.

Read the full article at MedlinePlus

Courtesy of MedlinePlus, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

Convert A18.53 to ICD-9-CMHistory

The closest ICD-9-CM equivalents under the General Equivalence Mappings.

ICD-9-CM
017.30 TB of eye-unspec
Approximate The match is approximate rather than exact.
ICD-9-CM
017.30 TB of eye-unspec
ApproximateCombination The match is approximate, and more than one code can be needed to describe the source diagnosis. Confirm with contextual judgment.
ICD-9-CM
363.13 Gen dissem choroiditis
ApproximateCombination The match is approximate, and more than one code can be needed to describe the source diagnosis. Confirm with contextual judgment.

Code HistoryHistory

FY 2016AddedAdded to the ICD-10-CM code setEffective October 1, 2015, the first year of ICD-10-CM.
FY 2017–2025No changes
FY 2026CurrentCurrent code set, no changesEffective October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026.

Questions About A18.53Overview

Is A18.53 (Tuberculosis of eye) a billable code?

Yes. This is a billable ICD-10-CM code, specific enough to report tuberculous chorioretinitis on HIPAA-covered claims from October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026.

What MS-DRG does A18.53 group to?

When tuberculous chorioretinitis is the principal diagnosis on an inpatient stay, it groups to MS-DRG 124, 125, 974, 975, 976, with relative weights from 0.7678 to 2.8860 depending on complications. Higher weights mean higher Medicare reimbursement.

What is the ICD-9 equivalent of A18.53?

Under the General Equivalence Mappings, tuberculous chorioretinitis converts to ICD-9-CM 017.30 (TB of eye-unspec), 017.30 (TB of eye-unspec), and 363.13 (gen dissem choroiditis). The mapping is approximate, so confirm the match fits the documentation.

Footnotes

[1] Not chronic - A diagnosis code that does not fit the criteria for chronic condition (duration, ongoing medical treatment, and limitations) is considered not chronic. Some codes designated as not chronic are acute conditions. Other diagnosis codes that indicate a possible chronic condition, but for which the duration of the illness is not specified in the code description (i.e., we do not know the condition has lasted 12 months or longer) also are considered not chronic.