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  6. 2024 ICD-10-CM Code H53.00

2024 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code H53.00

Unspecified amblyopia

ICD-10-CM Code:
H53.00
ICD-10 Code for:
Unspecified amblyopia
Is Billable?
Not Valid for Submission
Code Navigator:

Code Classification

  • Diseases of the eye and adnexa
    (H00–H59)
    • Visual disturbances and blindness
      (H53-H54)
      • Visual disturbances
        (H53)

H53.00 is a non-specific and non-billable diagnosis code code, consider using a code with a higher level of specificity for a diagnosis of unspecified amblyopia. The code is not specific and is NOT valid for the year 2024 for the submission of HIPAA-covered transactions. Category or Header define the heading of a category of codes that may be further subdivided by the use of 4th, 5th, 6th or 7th characters.

Unspecified diagnosis codes like H53.00 are acceptable when clinical information is unknown or not available about a particular condition. Although a more specific code is preferable, unspecified codes should be used when such codes most accurately reflect what is known about a patient's condition. Specific diagnosis codes should not be used if not supported by the patient's medical record.

Specific Coding Applicable to Unspecified amblyopia

Non-specific codes like H53.00 require more digits to indicate the appropriate level of specificity. Consider using any of the following ICD-10-CM codes with a higher level of specificity when coding for unspecified amblyopia:

  • Use H53.001 for Unspecified amblyopia, right eye - BILLABLE CODE

  • Use H53.002 for Unspecified amblyopia, left eye - BILLABLE CODE

  • Use H53.003 for Unspecified amblyopia, bilateral - BILLABLE CODE

  • Use H53.009 for Unspecified amblyopia, unspecified eye - BILLABLE CODE

Clinical Information

  • Amblyopia

    a nonspecific term referring to impaired vision. major subcategories include stimulus deprivation-induced amblyopia and toxic amblyopia. stimulus deprivation-induced amblyopia is a developmental disorder of the visual cortex. a discrepancy between visual information received by the visual cortex from each eye results in abnormal cortical development. strabismus and refractive errors may cause this condition. toxic amblyopia is a disorder of the optic nerve which is associated with alcoholism, tobacco smoking, and other toxins and as an adverse effect of the use of some medications.

Index to Diseases and Injuries References

The following annotation back-references for this diagnosis code are found in the injuries and diseases index. The Index to Diseases and Injuries is an alphabetical listing of medical terms, with each term mapped to one or more ICD-10-CM code(s).

Patient Education


Amblyopia

Amblyopia, or "lazy eye," is the most common cause of visual impairment in children. It happens when an eye fails to work properly with the brain. The eye may look normal, but the brain favors the other eye. In some cases, it can affect both eyes. Causes include:

  • Strabismus - a disorder in which the two eyes don't line up in the same direction
  • Refractive error in an eye - when one eye cannot focus as well as the other, because of a problem with its shape. This includes nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism.
  • Cataract - a clouding in the lens of the eye

It can be hard to diagnose amblyopia. It is often found during a routine vision exam.

Treatment for amblyopia forces the child to use the eye with weaker vision. There are two common ways to do this. One is to have the child wear a patch over the good eye for several hours each day, over a number of weeks to months. The other is with eye drops that temporarily blur vision. Each day, the child gets a drop of a drug called atropine in the stronger eye. It is also sometimes necessary to treat the underlying cause. This could include glasses or surgery.

NIH: National Eye Institute


[Learn More in MedlinePlus]

Code History

  • FY 2024 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2023 through 9/30/2024
  • FY 2023 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2022 through 9/30/2023
  • FY 2022 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2021 through 9/30/2022
  • FY 2021 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2020 through 9/30/2021
  • FY 2020 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2019 through 9/30/2020
  • FY 2019 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2018 through 9/30/2019
  • FY 2018 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2017 through 9/30/2018
  • FY 2017 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2016 through 9/30/2017
  • FY 2016 - New Code, effective from 10/1/2015 through 9/30/2016. This was the first year ICD-10-CM was implemented into the HIPAA code set.