2027 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code H53.8Other visual disturbances
ICD-10-CM Codes›H00–H59›H53-H54›H53
- Billable — Valid for Submission
- Not Chronic
H53.8 is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for other visual disturbances. It is valid on HIPAA claims for fiscal year 2027 (October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027) and groups to MS-DRG 124 through 125. In AHRQ's Clinical Classifications Software (CCSR), this diagnosis falls under Blindness and vision defects.
Code Identity
Code Classification
Approximate SynonymsGuidance
Alternate terms and clinical phrases that map to this code.
- Abnormal response to visual stimuli
- Absent response to visual stimuli
- Accommodation phosphene
- After image
- Alcoholic amblyopia
- Blurring of visual image
- Bradyopsia
- Chromatic aberration of vision
- Clarity of visual image - finding
- Coma wavefront aberration
- Conjugated visual deviation
- Curtain across vision
- Delayed visual maturation
- Difficulty seeing close objects
- Difficulty seeing distant objects
- Diplopia
- Dysfunction of visual motion detection
- Dysphotopsia
- Eccentric viewing
- Entoptic phenomenon
- Eyes sensitive to light
- Fading of visual image
- Finding of response to visual stimuli
- Finding related to focusing
- General reaction to light - finding
- Haidinger brushes
- Hazy vision
- Higher-order aberration of vision
- Higher-order wavefront aberration
- Holds objects close
- Left eye perceives light only
- Lower-order aberration of vision
- Lower-order wavefront aberration
- Misjudges distances
- Monocular diplopia
- Monovision
- Multiple visual images
- Negative dysphotopsia
- Nutritional amblyopia
- Ocular accommodation - finding
- Pain in eye
- Palinopsia
- Perceives light only
- Phosphene
- Photophobia
- Poor visual acuity
- Positive dysphotopsia
- Quadrafoil wavefront aberration
- Quality of visual image - finding
- Refraction measurement - finding
- Refractive polyopia
- Refractive power - finding
- Right eye perceives light only
- Scotopic sensitivity
- Slow to focus
- Speed of focus - finding
- Spherical aberration of vision
- Staring at diffuse light source
- Superimposition
- Temporal crescent syndrome
- Tobacco amblyopia
- Toxic amblyopia
- Toxic optic neuropathy
- Transient blurring of vision
- Transient blurring of vision of one eye
- Trefoil wavefront aberration
- Visual acuity PL - inaccurate projection
- Visual behavior - finding
- Visual image fades and reappears
- Visual image lingers
- Visual obscuration
- Visual snow syndrome
- Wavefront aberration
Instructional NotesGuidance
Instructions from the official ICD-10-CM Tabular List that apply to H53.8: its own notes plus those printed at Chapter 7. A note printed at a category, block or chapter applies to every code under it.
Excludes2
Not included here: the excluded condition is not part of this code, but a patient may have both, so both codes may be reported.
- certain conditions originating in the perinatal period (P04-P96)
- certain infectious and parasitic diseases (A00-B99)
- complications of pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium (O00-O9A)
- congenital malformations, deformations, and chromosomal abnormalities (Q00-Q99)
- diabetes mellitus related eye conditions (E09.3-, E10.3-, E11.3-, E13.3-)
- endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases (E00-E88)
- injury (trauma) of eye and orbit (S05.-)
- injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes (S00-T88)
- neoplasms (C00-D49)
- symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified (R00-R94)
- syphilis related eye disorders (A50.01, A50.3-, A51.43, A52.71)
Notes
General instructions on how these codes are used.
- Use an external cause code following the code for the eye condition, if applicable, to identify the cause of the eye condition
Source: CMS ICD-10-CM Tabular List. How to read instructional notes.
Index to Diseases and InjuriesGuidance
Alphabetical index entries that point to this code.
Blurring, visual H53.8
Disturbance (s) See Also: Disease;
specified NEC H53.8
Polyopia H53.8
Syndrome See Also: Disease;
visual disorientation H53.8
blurred, blurring H53.8
Clinical ClassificationClinical
AHRQ’s CCSR groups this code into broader clinical categories.
Clinical InformationClinical
Visual Disturbance
an interference to normal eyesight.
Patient EducationClinical
Vision Impairment and Blindness
Vision impairment is the loss of vision. It includes blindness, which means that you have lost all or most of your sight. It also includes low vision, which means you have some vision, but the vision loss makes it hard to do everyday activities. You may have trouble reading, shopping, cooking, writing, and watching TV.
The full article covers:
- What is vision impairment?
- What causes vision impairment?
- How is vision impairment diagnosed?
- What are the types of low vision?
- What are the treatments for low vision?
- How can I make the most of my remaining sight?
- Can vision impairment be prevented?
Read the full article at MedlinePlus
Courtesy of MedlinePlus, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
Convert H53.8 to ICD-9-CMHistory
The closest ICD-9-CM equivalents under the General Equivalence Mappings.
Code HistoryHistory
Questions About H53.8Overview
What is the ICD-10 code for other visual disturbances?
The ICD-10-CM code for other visual disturbances is H53.8 (sometimes written as H538). It is billable on HIPAA-covered claims from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.
Is H53.8 (Visual disturbances) a billable code?
Yes. This is a billable ICD-10-CM code, specific enough to report other visual disturbances on HIPAA-covered claims from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.
What MS-DRG does H53.8 group to?
When other visual disturbances is the principal diagnosis on an inpatient stay, it groups to MS-DRG 125, 124, with relative weights from 0.7699 to 1.2470 depending on complications. Higher weights mean higher Medicare reimbursement.
What is the ICD-9 equivalent of H53.8?
Under the General Equivalence Mappings, other visual disturbances converts to ICD-9-CM 368.8 (visual disturbances NEC). The mapping is approximate, so confirm the match fits the documentation.
