2026 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code H35.00Unspecified background retinopathy

ICD-10-CM Codes›H00–H59›H30-H36›H35

ICD-10-CM H35.00
CMSSource: CMS FY 2026 ICD-10-CM dataset · Effective Oct 1, 2025 – Sep 30, 2026

H35.00 is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for unspecified background retinopathy. 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. In AHRQ's Clinical Classifications Software (CCSR), this diagnosis falls under Retinal and vitreous conditions.

Code Identity

ICD-10-CM Code
H35.00
Billable Status
Yes — Valid for Submission
Code Describes
Unspecified background retinopathy
Short Description
Unspecified background retinopathy
Same as the full description in the CMS dataset.
Parent Code
H35.0
Background retinopathy and retinal vascular changes

Code Classification

ChapterH00–H59Diseases of the eye and adnexa
SectionH30-H36Disorders of choroid and retina
CategoryH35Other retinal disorders
This CodeH35.00Unspecified background retinopathy

Approximate SynonymsGuidance

Alternate terms and clinical phrases that map to this code.

  • Acute zonal occult outer retinopathy
  • Adverse reaction to Cinchona alkaloid
  • Aminoquinoline antimalarial adverse reaction
  • Autosomal recessive chorioretinopathy and microcephaly syndrome
  • Background retinopathy due to impaired glucose regulation
  • Bilateral retinopathy
  • Bilateral retinopathy of eyes caused by hydroxychloroquine
  • Chelating agent adverse reaction
  • Chloroquine adverse reaction
  • Chloroquine retinopathy
  • Desferrioxamine adverse reaction
  • Desferrioxamine retinopathy
  • Disorder of blood vessel of retina of left eye
  • Disorder of blood vessel of retina of right eye
  • Estrogen antagonist adverse reaction
  • Familial aplasia of the vermis
  • Hereditary vitreoretinopathy
  • Hydrochloroquine retinopathy
  • Hydroxychloroquine adverse reaction
  • Joubert syndrome
  • Joubert syndrome with ocular defect
  • Osteogenesis imperfecta, retinopathy, seizures, intellectual disability syndrome
  • Paraneoplastic retinopathy
  • Quinine adverse reaction
  • Quinine retinopathy
  • Renal retinopathy
  • Retinal vascular disorder
  • Retinal vasculopathy with cerebral leukoencephalopathy and systemic manifestations
  • Retinopathy caused by canthaxanthin
  • Retinopathy caused by trifluoperazine
  • Retinopathy due to atherosclerosis
  • Retinopathy of left eye caused by hydroxychloroquine
  • Retinopathy of right eye caused by hydroxychloroquine
  • Small vessel cerebrovascular disease
  • Tamoxifen adverse reaction
  • Tamoxifen retinopathy
  • Thioridazine adverse reaction
  • Thioridazine retinopathy
  • Trifluoperazine adverse reaction
  • Vascular retinopathy of bilateral eyes

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.

    • Retinopathy(background)
    • Sclerosis, sclerotic
      • retina (senile) (vascular)

Clinical ClassificationClinical

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

CCSR EYE005
Retinal and vitreous conditions
Default principal diagnosis: inpatient Yes · outpatient Yes

Clinical InformationClinical

  • Joubert Syndrome

    a rare genetic syndrome characterized by the hypoplasia or absence of the cerebellar vermis. signs and symptoms include rapid breathing (hyperpnea), sleep apnea, abnormal eye movements, mental retardation, and ataxia.

  • Joubert Syndrome 17|JBTS17

    an autosomal recessive subtype of joubert syndrome caused by mutation(s) in the cplane1 gene, encoding ciliogenesis and planar polarity effector 1.

  • Joubert Syndrome 3|JBTS3

    an autosomal recessive subtype of joubert syndrome caused by mutation(s) in the ahi1 gene, encoding jouberin.

  • Joubert Syndrome 4

    a rare genetic syndrome caused by mutations in the nphp1 gene. it is characterized by the hypoplasia or absence of the cerebellar vermis. signs and symptoms include rapid breathing (hyperpnea), sleep apnea, abnormal eye movements, mental retardation, and ataxia.

  • Joubert Syndrome 7|JBTS7

    an autosomal recessive sub-type of joubert syndrome caused by mutation(s) in the rpgrip1l gene, encoding a protein thought to function in programmed cell death. it is characterized by cerebellar and oculomotor apraxia, hypotonia and psychomotor delay, neonatal respiratory abnormalities, renal abnormalities, and retinal dystrophy.

  • Joubert Syndrome 9|JBTS9

    an autosomal recessive subtype of joubert syndrome caused by mutation(s) in the cc2d2a gene, encoding coiled-coil and c2 domain-containing protein 2a.

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 H35.00 to ICD-9-CMHistory

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

ICD-9-CM
362.10 Backgrnd retinopathy NOS
Exact Match The mapping is direct, with no qualifiers.

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 H35.00Overview

Is H35.00 (Background retinopathy and retinal vascular changes) a billable code?

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

What MS-DRG does H35.00 group to?

When unspecified background retinopathy 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 H35.00?

Under the General Equivalence Mappings, unspecified background retinopathy converts to ICD-9-CM 362.10 (backgrnd retinopathy NOS). The mapping is a direct match.

Footnotes

[1] Chronic - a chronic condition code indicates a condition lasting 12 months or longer and its effect on the patient based on one or both of the following criteria:

  • The condition results in the need for ongoing intervention with medical products,treatment, services, and special equipment
  • The condition places limitations on self-care, independent living, and social interactions.