H54.8
Billable codeLegal blindness, as defined in USA
The ICD-10 code for legal blindness, as defined in usa is H54.8.
Clinical notes
Excludes1 (not coded here)
An Excludes1 note is a pure exclusion: the excluded condition and this code should never be reported together, because the two conditions cannot occur at the same time (e.g. a congenital form vs. an acquired form of the same disease).
Also known as
Alternate wording, synonyms, or specific conditions that fall under this code, listed to help confirm you've picked the right one.
- Blindness NOS according to USA definition
Documentation support
General coding-documentation guidance — not a substitute for payer-specific requirements or professional coding judgment.
- •Confirm the excluded condition(s) listed above are not also present — Excludes1 conditions cannot be coded together with this one.
- •As a general rule, code to the highest level of specificity supported by the documentation in the medical record.
Related codes in this category
- H54.0Blindness, both eyesnon-billable header
- H54.1Blindness, one eye, low vision other eyenon-billable header
- H54.2Low vision, both eyesnon-billable header
- H54.3Unqualified visual loss, both eyes
- H54.4Blindness, one eyenon-billable header
- H54.5Low vision, one eyenon-billable header
- H54.6Unqualified visual loss, one eyenon-billable header
- H54.7Unspecified visual loss
- H54.8Legal blindness, as defined in USA
ICD-9-CM equivalent
Informational only — GEM mappings are approximate, not guaranteed one-to-one equivalents. Verify before use in billing.
- 3694
Associated MS-DRGs
H54.8 can serve as the principal diagnosis for these Medicare Severity Diagnosis-Related Groups.
Informational only — actual DRG assignment also depends on procedures, complications/comorbidities (CC/MCC), discharge status, and payer-specific rules not reflected here.