2026 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code D31.20Benign neoplasm of unspecified retina

ICD-10-CM CodesC00–D49D10-D36D31

ICD-10-CM D31.20
CMSSource: CMS FY 2026 ICD-10-CM dataset · Effective Oct 1, 2025 – Sep 30, 2026

D31.20 is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for benign neoplasm of unspecified retina. 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. Coders also document this condition as acquired melanocytic nevus of retina. In AHRQ's Clinical Classifications Software (CCSR), this diagnosis falls under Benign neoplasms.

Code Identity

ICD-10-CM Code
D31.20
Billable Status
Yes — Valid for Submission
Code Describes
Benign neoplasm of unspecified retina
Short Description
Benign neoplasm of unspecified retina
Same as the full description in the CMS dataset.
Parent Code
Benign neoplasm of retina

Code Classification

ChapterC00–D49Neoplasms
SectionD10-D36Benign neoplasms, except benign neuroendocrine tumors
CategoryD31Benign neoplasm of eye and adnexa
This CodeD31.20Benign neoplasm of unspecified retina

Approximate SynonymsGuidance

Alternate terms and clinical phrases that map to this code.

  • Acquired melanocytic nevus of retina
  • Astrocytoma of retina
  • Benign neoplasm of retina
  • Combined hamartoma of retina and retinal pigment epithelium
  • Hamartoma of retina
  • Retinocytoma
  • Retinoma
  • Vasoproliferative tumor of retina

Clinical ClassificationClinical

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

CCSR NEO073
Benign neoplasms
Default principal diagnosis: inpatient Yes · outpatient Yes

Clinical InformationClinical

  • Arrestin

    a 48-kd protein of the outer segment of the retinal rods and a component of the phototransduction cascade. arrestin quenches g-protein activation by binding to phosphorylated photolyzed rhodopsin. arrestin causes experimental autoimmune uveitis when injected into laboratory animals.
  • ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily A, Member 4

    an atp binding cassette sub-family a transporter that translocates 11-cis and all-trans isomers of n-retinylidene-phosphatidylethanolamine (retinoids) from the extracellular surface to the cytoplasmic membrane surface of retinal rod cells and retinal cone cells. mutations in the abca4 gene are associated with stargardt disease 1, a hereditary juvenile form of macular degeneration.
  • Blood-Retinal Barrier

    a specialized transport barrier, in the eye, formed by the retinal pigment epithelium, and the endothelium of the blood vessels of the retina. tight junctions joining adjacent cells keep the barrier between cells continuous.
  • Cone-Rod Dystrophies

    genetically heterogeneous and sometimes syndromic (e.g., bardet biedl syndrome; and spinocerebellar ataxia type 7) retinopathies with initial retinal cone involvement. they are characterized by decreased visual acuity; color vision defects; progressive loss of peripheral vision and night blindness.
  • Cyclic Nucleotide Phosphodiesterases, Type 6

    a cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase subfamily that is highly specific for cyclic gmp. it is found predominantly in the outer segment photoreceptor cells of the retina. it is comprised of two catalytic subunits, referred to as alpha and beta, that form a dimer. in addition two regulatory subunits, referred to as gamma and delta, modulate the activity and localization of the enzyme.
  • Ependymoglial Cells

    the macroglial cells of ependyma. they are characterized by bipolar cell body shape and processes that contact basal lamina around blood vessels and/or the pia mater and the cerebral ventricles. muller cells of the retina are included based on similar microenvironmental contacts and morphology.
  • Foveomacular Retinitis

    a photochemical injury to retina tissues, usually at the retinal pigment epithelium. it is commonly associated with sungazing, eclipse viewing, welding, or using a laser pointer without proper eye protection resulting in subjective visual disturbances (e.g., floaters) and reduced visual acuity.
  • Leber Congenital Amaurosis

    a rare degenerative inherited eye disease that appears at birth or in the first few months of life that results in a loss of vision. not to be confused with leber hereditary optic neuropathy, the disease is thought to be caused by abnormal development of photoreceptor cells in the retina, or by the extremely premature degeneration of retinal cells.
  • Microaneurysm

    aneurysm of the microvasculature. charcot–bouchard aneurysms are aneurysms of the brain vasculature which is a common cause of cerebral hemorrhage. retinal microaneurysm is an early diagnostic sign of diabetic retinopathy.
  • Neuroectodermal Tumor, Melanotic

    a benign, rapidly growing, deeply pigmented tumor of the jaw and occasionally of other sites, consisting of an infiltrating mass of cells arranged in an alveolar pattern, and occurring almost exclusively in infants. its source of origin is in dispute, the various theories giving rise to its several names. (dorland, 27th ed)
  • Papilledema

    swelling of the optic disk, usually in association with increased intracranial pressure, characterized by hyperemia, blurring of the disk margins, microhemorrhages, blind spot enlargement, and engorgement of retinal veins. chronic papilledema may cause optic atrophy and visual loss. (miller et al., clinical neuro-ophthalmology, 4th ed, p175)
  • Photoreceptor Cells, Vertebrate

    specialized phototransduction neurons in the vertebrates, such as the retinal rod cells and the retinal cone cells. non-visual photoreceptor neurons have been reported in the deep brain, the pineal gland and organs of the circadian system.
  • Porencephaly

    cortical malformations characterized by white matter-lined cleft or cyst associated with ischemia and hemorrhagic insults. symptoms include delayed growth and development, hypotonia; seizures; spastic hemiplegia and macrocephaly; microcephaly; or hydrocephalus. mutations in the genes encoding collagen type iv are associated with familial types.
  • Retina

    the ten-layered nervous tissue membrane of the eye. it is continuous with the optic nerve and receives images of external objects and transmits visual impulses to the brain. its outer surface is in contact with the choroid and the inner surface with the vitreous body. the outer-most layer is pigmented, whereas the inner nine layers are transparent.
  • Retinal Arterial Macroaneurysm

    an acquired dilation of the retinal artery often associated with systemic hypertension.
  • Retinal Artery

    central retinal artery and its branches. it arises from the ophthalmic artery, pierces the optic nerve and runs through its center, enters the eye through the porus opticus and branches to supply the retina.
  • Retinal Artery Occlusion

    sudden ischemia in the retina due to blocked blood flow through the central retinal artery or its branches leading to sudden complete or partial loss of vision, respectively, in the eye.
  • Retinal Bipolar Cells

    interneurons of the vertebrate retina containing two processes. they receive inputs from the retinal photoreceptor cells and send outputs to the retinal ganglion cells. the bipolar cells also make lateral connections in the retina with the retinal horizontal cells and with the amacrine cells.
  • Retinal Cone Photoreceptor Cells

    photosensitive afferent neurons located primarily within the fovea centralis of the macula lutea. there are three major types of cone cells (red, blue, and green) whose photopigments have different spectral sensitivity curves. retinal cone cells operate in daylight vision (at photopic intensities) providing color recognition and central visual acuity.
  • Retinal Degeneration

    a retrogressive pathological change in the retina, focal or generalized, caused by genetic defects, inflammation, trauma, vascular disease, or aging. degeneration affecting predominantly the macula lutea of the retina is macular degeneration. (newell, ophthalmology: principles and concepts, 7th ed, p304)
  • Retinal Dehydrogenase

    a metalloflavoprotein enzyme involved the metabolism of vitamin a, this enzyme catalyzes the oxidation of retinal to retinoic acid, using both nad+ and fad coenzymes. it also acts on both the 11-trans- and 13-cis-forms of retinal.
  • Retinal Detachment

    separation of the inner layers of the retina (neural retina) from the pigment epithelium. retinal detachment occurs more commonly in men than in women, in eyes with degenerative myopia, in aging and in aphakia. it may occur after an uncomplicated cataract extraction, but it is seen more often if vitreous humor has been lost during surgery. (dorland, 27th ed; newell, ophthalmology: principles and concepts, 7th ed, p310-12).
  • Retinal Diseases

    diseases involving the retina.
  • Retinal Drusen

    colloid or hyaline bodies lying beneath the retinal pigment epithelium. they may occur either secondary to changes in the choroid that affect the pigment epithelium or as an autosomal dominant disorder of the retinal pigment epithelium.
  • Retinal Dysplasia

    congenital, often bilateral, retinal abnormality characterized by the arrangement of outer nuclear retinal cells in a palisading or radiating pattern surrounding a central ocular space. this disorder is sometimes hereditary.
  • Retinal Dystrophies

    a group of disorders involving predominantly the posterior portion of the ocular fundus, due to degeneration in the sensory layer of the retina; retinal pigment epithelium; bruch membrane; choroid; or a combination of these tissues.
  • Retinal Ganglion Cells

    neurons of the innermost layer of the retina, the internal plexiform layer. they are of variable sizes and shapes, and their axons project via the optic nerve to the brain. a small subset of these cells act as photoreceptors with projections to the suprachiasmatic nucleus, the center for regulating circadian rhythm.
  • Retinal Hemorrhage

    bleeding from the vessels of the retina.
  • Retinal Horizontal Cells

    neurons in the inner nuclear layer of the retina that synapse with both the retinal photoreceptor cells and the retinal bipolar cells, as well as other horizontal cells. the horizontal cells modulate the sensory signal.
  • Retinal Necrosis Syndrome, Acute

    mild to fulminant necrotizing vaso-occlusive retinitis associated with a high incidence of retinal detachment and poor vision outcome.
  • Retinal Neoplasms

    tumors or cancer of the retina.
  • Retinal Neovascularization

    formation of new blood vessels originating from the retinal veins and extending along the inner (vitreal) surface of the retina.
  • Retinal Neurons

    nerve cells of the retina in the pathway of transmitting light signals to the central nervous system. they include the outer layer of photoreceptor cells, the intermediate layer of retinal bipolar cells and amacrine cells, and the internal layer of retinal ganglion cells.
  • Retinal Perforations

    perforations through the whole thickness of the retina including the macula as the result of inflammation, trauma, degeneration, etc. the concept includes retinal breaks, tears, dialyses, and holes.
  • Retinal Photoreceptor Cell Inner Segment

    the inner portion of a retinal rod or a cone photoreceptor cell, situated between the photoreceptor connecting cilium and the synapse with the adjacent neurons (retinal bipolar cells; retinal horizontal cells). the inner segment contains the cell body, the nucleus, the mitochondria, and apparatus for protein synthesis.
  • Retinal Photoreceptor Cell Outer Segment

    the light sensitive outer portion of a retinal rod or a cone photoreceptor cell. the outer segment contains a stack of disk membranes laden with photoreceptive pigments (retinal pigments). the outer segment is connected to the inner segment by a photoreceptor connecting cilium.
  • Retinal Pigment Epithelium

    the single layer of pigment-containing epithelial cells in the retina, situated closely to the tips (outer segments) of the retinal photoreceptor cells. these epithelial cells are macroglia that perform essential functions for the photoreceptor cells, such as in nutrient transport, phagocytosis of the shed photoreceptor membranes, and ensuring retinal attachment.
  • Retinal Pigments

    photosensitive protein complexes of varied light absorption properties which are expressed in the photoreceptor cells. they are opsins conjugated with vitamin a-based chromophores. chromophores capture photons of light, leading to the activation of opsins and a biochemical cascade that ultimately excites the photoreceptor cells.
  • Retinal Rod Photoreceptor Cells

    photosensitive afferent neurons located in the peripheral retina, with their density increases radially away from the fovea centralis. being much more sensitive to light than the retinal cone cells, the rod cells are responsible for twilight vision (at scotopic intensities) as well as peripheral vision, but provide no color discrimination.
  • Retinal Telangiectasis

    a group of rare, idiopathic, congenital retinal vascular anomalies affecting the retinal capillaries. it is characterized by dilation and tortuosity of retinal vessels and formation of multiple aneurysms, with different degrees of leakage and exudates emanating from the blood vessels.
  • Retinal Vasculitis

    inflammation of the retinal vasculature with various causes including infectious disease; lupus erythematosus, systemic; multiple sclerosis; behcet syndrome; and chorioretinitis.
  • Retinal Vein

    central retinal vein and its tributaries. it runs a short course within the optic nerve and then leaves and empties into the superior ophthalmic vein or cavernous sinus.
  • Retinal Vein Occlusion

    blockage of the retinal vein. those at high risk for this condition include patients with hypertension; diabetes mellitus; atherosclerosis; and other cardiovascular diseases.
  • Retinal Vessels

    the blood vessels which supply and drain the retina.
  • Retinaldehyde

    a diterpene derived from the carotenoid vitamin a which functions as the active component of the visual cycle. it is the prosthetic group of rhodopsin (i.e., covalently bonded to rod opsin as 11-cis-retinal). when stimulated by visible light, rhodopsin transforms this cis-isomer of retinal to the trans-isomer (11-trans-retinal). this transformation straightens-out the bend of the retinal molecule and causes a change in the shape of rhodopsin triggering the visual process. a series of energy-requiring enzyme-catalyzed reactions convert the 11-trans-retinal back to the cis-isomer.
  • Retinoblastoma

    a malignant tumor arising from the nuclear layer of the retina that is the most common primary tumor of the eye in children. the tumor tends to occur in early childhood or infancy and may be present at birth. the majority are sporadic, but the condition may be transmitted as an autosomal dominant trait. histologic features include dense cellularity, small round polygonal cells, and areas of calcification and necrosis. an abnormal pupil reflex (leukokoria); nystagmus, pathologic; strabismus; and visual loss represent common clinical characteristics of this condition. (from devita et al., cancer: principles and practice of oncology, 5th ed, p2104)
  • Vision Disparity

    the difference between two images on the retina when looking at a visual stimulus. this occurs since the two retinas do not have the same view of the stimulus because of the location of our eyes. thus the left eye does not get exactly the same view as the right eye.
  • Visual Prosthesis

    artificial device such as an externally-worn camera attached to a stimulator on the retina, optic nerve, or visual cortex, intended to restore or amplify vision.

Table of NeoplasmsClinical

Anatomical sites in the Table of Neoplasms that reference this code family.

SiteMalig.
Primary
Malig.
Secondary
Ca
in situ
BenignUncertainUnspec.
retinaC69.2C79.49D09.2D31.2D48.7D49.81

Patient EducationClinical

Benign Tumors

Tumors are abnormal growths in your body. They can be either benign or malignant. Benign tumors aren't cancer. Malignant ones are. Benign tumors grow only in one place. They cannot spread or invade other parts of your body. Even so, they can be dangerous if they press on vital organs, such as your brain.

Read the full article at MedlinePlus

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

Convert D31.20 to ICD-9-CMHistory

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

ICD-9-CM
224.5 Benign neoplasm retina
Approximate The match is approximate rather than exact.

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 D31.20Overview

Is D31.20 (Benign neoplasm of retina) a billable code?

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

What MS-DRG does D31.20 group to?

When benign neoplasm of unspecified retina is the principal diagnosis on an inpatient stay, it groups to MS-DRG 124, 125, with relative weights from 0.7678 to 1.3231 depending on complications. Higher weights mean higher Medicare reimbursement.

What is the ICD-9 equivalent of D31.20?

Under the General Equivalence Mappings, benign neoplasm of unspecified retina converts to ICD-9-CM 224.5 (benign neoplasm retina). 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.