2025 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code Q12.0

Congenital cataract

ICD-10-CM Code:
Q12.0
ICD-10 Code for:
Congenital cataract
Is Billable?
Yes - Valid for Submission
Chronic Condition Indicator: [1]
Chronic
Code Navigator:

Q12.0 is a billable diagnosis code used to specify a medical diagnosis of congenital cataract. The code is valid during the current fiscal year for the submission of HIPAA-covered transactions from October 01, 2024 through September 30, 2025. The code is exempt from present on admission (POA) reporting for inpatient admissions to general acute care hospitals.

Code Classification

  • Congenital malformations, deformations and chromosomal abnormalities
    Q00-Q99
    • Congenital malformations of eye, ear, face and neck
      Q10-Q18
      • Congenital lens malformations
        Q12

Approximate Synonyms

The following list of clinical terms are approximate synonyms, alternative descriptions, or common phrases that might be used by patients, healthcare providers, or medical coders to describe the same condition. These synonyms and related diagnosis terms are often used when searching for an ICD-10 code, especially when the exact medical terminology is unclear. Whether you're looking for lay terms, similar diagnosis names, or common language alternatives, this list can help guide you to the correct ICD-10 classification.

  • Absence deformity of leg and congenital cataract syndrome
  • Anal atresia
  • Anterior subcapsular cataract of bilateral eyes
  • Anterior subcapsular cataract of left eye
  • Anterior subcapsular cataract of left eye
  • Anterior subcapsular cataract of right eye
  • Anterior subcapsular cataract of right eye
  • Anterior subcapsular polar cataract of left eye
  • Anterior subcapsular polar cataract of left eye
  • Anterior subcapsular polar cataract of right eye
  • Anterior subcapsular polar cataract of right eye
  • Bilateral anterior subcapsular polar cataract
  • Bilateral congenital anterior subcapsular polar cataracts
  • Bilateral congenital capsular cataracts
  • Bilateral congenital cataract of eyes
  • Bilateral congenital cataract of eyes
  • Bilateral congenital cataract of eyes
  • Bilateral congenital combined form cataract of eyes
  • Bilateral congenital cortical cataract of eyes
  • Bilateral congenital nuclear cataracts of eyes
  • Bilateral congenital posterior subcapsular polar cataracts of eyes
  • Bilateral congenital zonular cataract
  • Cataract and microcornea syndrome
  • Cataract glaucoma syndrome
  • Cataract of lens capsule of bilateral eyes
  • Cataract of posterior subcapsule of bilateral eyes
  • Cataract, congenital heart disease, neural tube defect syndrome
  • Congenital anterior polar cataract
  • Congenital anterior polar cataract
  • Congenital anterior subcapsular polar cataract
  • Congenital anterior subcapsular polar cataract of left eye
  • Congenital anterior subcapsular polar cataract of right eye
  • Congenital blue dot cataract
  • Congenital capsular cataract
  • Congenital cataract
  • Congenital cataract ichthyosis syndrome
  • Congenital cataract microcornea with corneal opacity
  • Congenital cataract of left eye
  • Congenital cataract of right eye
  • Congenital cataract with ataxia and deafness syndrome
  • Congenital cataract with deafness and hypogonadism syndrome
  • Congenital cataract with hypertrichosis and intellectual disability syndrome
  • Congenital cataract, hearing loss, severe developmental delay syndrome
  • Congenital cataract, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, mitochondrial myopathy syndrome
  • Congenital cataract, progressive muscular hypotonia, hearing loss, developmental delay syndrome
  • Congenital cataract, severe neonatal hepatopathy, global developmental delay syndrome
  • Congenital cataracts, facial dysmorphism and neuropathy
  • Congenital coloboma of bilateral irides
  • Congenital coloboma of iris
  • Congenital coloboma of iris of left eye
  • Congenital coloboma of iris of right eye
  • Congenital combined form cataract
  • Congenital cortical cataract
  • Congenital cortical cataract of left eye
  • Congenital cortical cataract of right eye
  • Congenital endocardial fibroelastosis
  • Congenital glaucoma of bilateral eyes
  • Congenital glaucoma of left eye
  • Congenital glaucoma of right eye
  • Congenital lamellar cataract
  • Congenital malformation of anterior pituitary
  • Congenital membranous cataract
  • Congenital nuclear cataract of left eye
  • Congenital nuclear cataract of right eye
  • Congenital polar cataract
  • Congenital porencephaly
  • Congenital posterior polar cataract
  • Congenital posterior subcapsular polar cataract
  • Congenital posterior subcapsular polar cataract of left eye
  • Congenital posterior subcapsular polar cataract of right eye
  • Congenital subcapsular cataract
  • Congenital sutural cataract
  • Congenital total cataract
  • Congenital zonular cataract
  • Congenital zonular cataract of left eye
  • Congenital zonular cataract of right eye
  • Coralliform cataract
  • Cortical and zonular cataract
  • Crome syndrome
  • Dandy-Walker syndrome
  • Disorder of cholesterol metabolism
  • Disorder of cholesterol synthesis
  • Distal spinal muscular atrophy
  • EDICT syndrome
  • Embryonal nuclear cataract
  • Endocardial fibroelastosis
  • Familial progressive retinal dystrophy, iris coloboma, congenital cataract syndrome
  • Hutterite type cataract
  • Hydrocephalus with endocardial fibroelastosis and cataract syndrome
  • Hypergonadotropic hypogonadism with cataract syndrome
  • Hypertrophic mitochondrial cardiomyopathy
  • Hypomyelination and congenital cataract
  • Inborn error of lipoprotein metabolism
  • Intellectual disability, cataract, calcified pinna, myopathy syndrome
  • ITPA-related lethal infantile neurological disorder with cataract and cardiac involvement
  • Karandikar Maria Kamble syndrome
  • Left congenital capsular cataract
  • Left congenital combined form cataract
  • Left ventricular myocardial noncompaction cardiomyopathy
  • Lethal left ventricular non-compaction, seizures, hypotonia, cataract, developmental delay syndrome
  • Martsolf syndrome
  • Mature cataract
  • Mature cataract
  • Microcephaly, congenital cataract, psoriasiform dermatitis syndrome
  • Microcornea
  • Microcornea
  • Nathalie syndrome
  • Nuclear cataract
  • Nuclear cataract
  • Nuclear cataract
  • Nuclear cataract
  • Osteogenesis imperfecta, perinatal lethal
  • Osteogenesis imperfecta, recessive perinatal lethal, with microcephaly AND cataracts
  • Pinnal calcification
  • Porencephaly, microcephaly, bilateral congenital cataract syndrome
  • Posterior subcapsular polar cataract
  • Posterior subcapsular polar cataract
  • Posterior subcapsular polar cataract
  • Posterior subcapsular polar cataract
  • Psoriasiform dermatitis
  • Pulverulent cataract
  • Punctate cataract
  • RAB18 deficiency
  • Right congenital capsular cataract
  • Right congenital combined form cataract
  • Spinal muscular atrophy, Dandy-Walker malformation, cataract syndrome
  • Spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia, craniosynostosis, cleft palate, cataract and intellectual disability syndrome
  • Ventricular myocardial noncompaction cardiomyopathy
  • Wellesley Carman French syndrome

Clinical Classification

Clinical Classifications group individual ICD-10-CM diagnosis codes into broader, clinically meaningful categories. These categories help simplify complex data by organizing related conditions under common clinical themes.

They are especially useful for data analysis, reporting, and clinical decision-making. Even when diagnosis codes differ, similar conditions can be grouped together based on their clinical relevance. Each category is assigned a unique CCSR code that represents a specific clinical concept, often tied to a body system or medical specialty.

Congenital malformations of eye, ear, face, neck

CCSR Code: MAL005

Inpatient Default: Y - Yes, default inpatient assignment for principal diagnosis or first-listed diagnosis.

Outpatient Default: Y - Yes, default outpatient assignment for principal diagnosis or first-listed diagnosis.

Clinical Information

  • Endocardial Fibroelastosis

    a condition characterized by the thickening of endocardium due to proliferation of fibrous and elastic tissue, usually in the left ventricle leading to impaired cardiac function (cardiomyopathy, restrictive). it is most commonly seen in young children and rarely in adults. it is often associated with congenital heart anomalies (heart defects congenital;) infection; or gene mutation. defects in the tafazzin protein, encoded by taz gene, result in a form of autosomal dominant familial endocardial fibroelastosis.
  • Congenital Cataract

    cataract that is present at birth.
  • Microcornea

    a congenital abnormality characterized by an abnormally small cornea. the horizontal corneal diameter is less than 10mm or less than 9mm in newborns. it is associated with an increased risk of glaucoma.
  • Psoriasiform Dermatitis

    a chronic, sporadic, acquired pruritic non-infectious skin condition characterized by one or more well defined inflamed (pink or red) patches or plaques of varying size.
  • Endocardial Fibroelastosis

    a rare disorder characterized by diffuse thickening of the endocardium. it presents with unexplained heart failure.
  • TAFAZZIN wt Allele|BTHS|Barth Syndrome Gene|CMD3A|Cardiomyopathy, Dilated 3A (X-Linked) Gene|EFE|EFE2|Endocardial Fibroelastosis 2 Gene|G4.5|LVNCX|TAZ|TAZ1|Tafazzin, Phospholipid-Lysophospholipid Transacylase wt Allele|Taz1

    human tafazzin wild-type allele is located in the vicinity of xq28 and is approximately 10 kb in length. this allele, which encodes tafazzin protein, plays a role in phospholipid metabolism, including cardiolipin remodeling. mutations in the gene are associated with barth syndrome, dilated cardiomyopathy (dcm), hypertrophic dcm, endocardial fibroelastosis and left ventricular noncompaction.

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).

Present on Admission (POA)

Q12.0 is exempt from POA reporting - The Present on Admission (POA) indicator is used for diagnosis codes included in claims involving inpatient admissions to general acute care hospitals. POA indicators must be reported to CMS on each claim to facilitate the grouping of diagnoses codes into the proper Diagnostic Related Groups (DRG). CMS publishes a listing of specific diagnosis codes that are exempt from the POA reporting requirement. Review other POA exempt codes here.

CMS POA Indicator Options and Definitions

POA Indicator: Y

Reason: Diagnosis was present at time of inpatient admission.

CMS Pays CC/MCC DRG? YES

POA Indicator: N

Reason: Diagnosis was not present at time of inpatient admission.

CMS Pays CC/MCC DRG? NO

POA Indicator: U

Reason: Documentation insufficient to determine if the condition was present at the time of inpatient admission.

CMS Pays CC/MCC DRG? NO

POA Indicator: W

Reason: Clinically undetermined - unable to clinically determine whether the condition was present at the time of inpatient admission.

CMS Pays CC/MCC DRG? YES

POA Indicator: 1

Reason: Unreported/Not used - Exempt from POA reporting.

CMS Pays CC/MCC DRG? NO

Convert Q12.0 to ICD-9-CM

Below are the ICD-9 codes that most closely match this ICD-10 code, based on the General Equivalence Mappings (GEMs). This ICD-10 to ICD-9 crosswalk tool is helpful for coders who need to reference legacy diagnosis codes for audits, historical claims, or approximate code comparisons.

Congenital cataract NOS

ICD-9-CM: 743.30

Approximate Flag - The approximate mapping means this ICD-10 code does not have an exact ICD-9 equivalent. The matched code is the closest available option, but it may not fully capture the original diagnosis or clinical intent.

Patient Education


Birth Defects

What are birth defects?

A birth defect is a problem that happens while a baby is developing in the mother's body. Most birth defects happen during the first 3 months of pregnancy. One out of every 33 babies in the United States is born with a birth defect.

A birth defect may affect how the body looks, works, or both. Some birth defects like cleft lip or neural tube defects are structural problems that can be easy to see. Others, like heart disease, are found using special tests. Birth defects can range from mild to severe. How a birth defect affects a child's life depends mostly on which organ or body part is involved and how severe the defect is.

What causes birth defects?

For some birth defects, researchers know the cause. But for many birth defects, the exact cause is unknown. Researchers think that most birth defects are caused by a complex mix of factors, which can include:

  • Genetics. One or more genes might have a change or mutation that prevents them from working properly. For example, this happens in Fragile X syndrome. With some defects, a gene or part of the gene might be missing.
  • Chromosomal problems. In some cases, a chromosome or part of a chromosome might be missing. This is what happens in Turner syndrome. In other cases, such as with Down syndrome, the child has an extra chromosome.
  • Exposures to medicines, chemicals, or other toxic substances. For example, alcohol misuse can cause fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.
  • Infections during pregnancy. For example, infection with Zika virus during pregnancy can cause a serious defect in the brain.
  • Lack of certain nutrients. Not getting enough folic acid before and during pregnancy is a key factor in causing neural tube defects.

Who is at risk of having a baby with birth defects?

Certain factors may increase the chances of having a baby with a birth defect, such as:

  • Smoking, drinking alcohol, or taking certain "street" drugs during pregnancy
  • Having certain medical conditions, such as obesity or uncontrolled diabetes, before and during pregnancy
  • Taking certain medicines
  • Having someone in your family with a birth defect. To learn more about your risk of having a baby with a birth defect, you can talk with a genetic counselor,
  • Being an older mother, typically over the age of 34 years

How are birth defects diagnosed?

Health care providers can diagnose some birth defects during pregnancy, using prenatal testing. That's why it important to get regular prenatal care.

Other birth defects may not be found until after the baby is born. Providers may find them through newborn screening. Some defects, such as club foot, are obvious right away. Other times, the health care provider may not discover a defect until later in life, when the child has symptoms.

What are the treatments for birth defects?

Children with birth defects often need special care and treatments. Because the symptoms and problems caused by birth defects vary, the treatments also vary. Possible treatments may include surgery, medicines, assistive devices, physical therapy, and speech therapy.

Often, children with birth defects need a variety of services and may need to see several specialists. The primary health care provider can coordinate the special care that the child needs.

Can birth defects be prevented?

Not all birth defects can be prevented. But there are things you can do before and during pregnancy to increase your chance of having a healthy baby:

  • Start prenatal care as soon as you think you might be pregnant, and see your health care provider regularly during pregnancy
  • Get 400 micrograms (mcg) of folic acid every day. If possible, you should start taking it at least one month before you get pregnant.
  • Don't drink alcohol, smoke, or use "street" drugs
  • Talk to your health care provider about any medicines you are taking or thinking about taking. This includes prescription and over-the-counter medicines, as well as dietary or herbal supplements.
  • Learn how to prevent infections during pregnancy
  • If you have any medical conditions, try to get them under control before you get pregnant

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention


[Learn More in MedlinePlus]

Eye Diseases

Some eye problems are minor and don't last long. But some can lead to a permanent loss of vision.

Common eye problems include:

  • Refractive errors
  • Cataracts - clouded lenses
  • Optic nerve disorders, including glaucoma
  • Retinal disorders - problems with the nerve layer at the back of the eye
  • Macular degeneration - a disease that destroys sharp, central vision
  • Diabetic eye problems
  • Conjunctivitis - an infection also known as pink eye

Your best defense is to have regular checkups, because eye diseases do not always have symptoms. Early detection and treatment could prevent vision loss. See an eye care professional right away if you have a sudden change in vision, if everything looks dim, or if you see flashes of light. Other symptoms that need quick attention are pain, double vision, fluid coming from the eye, and inflammation.

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.

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.