2026 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code H53.9Unspecified visual disturbance

ICD-10-CM Codes›H00–H59›H53-H54›H53

ICD-10-CM H53.9
CMSSource: CMS FY 2026 ICD-10-CM dataset · Effective Oct 1, 2025 – Sep 30, 2026

H53.9 is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for unspecified visual disturbance. 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 Blindness and vision defects.

Code Identity

ICD-10-CM Code
H53.9
Billable Status
Yes — Valid for Submission
Code Describes
Unspecified visual disturbance
Short Description
Unspecified visual disturbance
Same as the full description in the CMS dataset.
Parent Code
H53
Visual disturbances

Code Classification

ChapterH00–H59Diseases of the eye and adnexa
SectionH53-H54Visual disturbances and blindness
CategoryH53Visual disturbances
This CodeH53.9Unspecified visual disturbance

Approximate SynonymsGuidance

Alternate terms and clinical phrases that map to this code.

  • Abnormal vision as a late effect of cerebrovascular disease
  • Abnormal vision due to superficial infantile hemangioma of periorbital region
  • CHD3-related developmental delay, speech delay, intellectual disability, abnormalities of vision, facial dysmorphism syndrome
  • Congenital corneal opacity interfering with vision
  • Congenital corneal opacity with visual deficit
  • Deafness-dystonia-optic neuronopathy syndrome
  • Disorder of vision
  • Dissociative neurological symptom disorder with visual symptom
  • Functional vision problem
  • Global developmental delay, visual anomalies, progressive cerebellar atrophy, truncal hypotonia syndrome
  • Hereditary cerebellar atrophy
  • Higher-order wavefront aberration
  • Infantile hemangioma
  • Interference with vision
  • Speech delay
  • Strawberry nevus of skin
  • Superficial infantile hemangioma of periorbital region
  • Visual alteration
  • Visual disturbance
  • Visual disturbance as sequela of cerebrovascular disease
  • Visual symptoms
  • Wavefront aberration

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.

    • Disturbance(s)
      • vision, visual
    • Vision, visual
      • disturbance

Clinical ClassificationClinical

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

CCSR EYE010
Blindness and vision defects
Default principal diagnosis: inpatient Yes · outpatient Yes

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 H53.9 to ICD-9-CMHistory

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

ICD-9-CM
368.9 Visual disturbance 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 H53.9Overview

Is H53.9 (Visual disturbances) a billable code?

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

What MS-DRG does H53.9 group to?

When unspecified visual disturbance 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 H53.9?

Under the General Equivalence Mappings, unspecified visual disturbance converts to ICD-9-CM 368.9 (visual disturbance NOS). The mapping is a direct match.

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.