Ophthalmology and Optometry Coding Alert

Check detailed codes for side specificity.

If you’re in a neuro-ophthalmology practices, the last two months may have already made you familiar with the new diagnosis codes for disorders of optic chiasm and other visual pathway disorders, which took effect Oct. 1, 2015.

As coders have seen, many of the ICD-10 codes specify which eye is affected – but since there is only one optic chiasm (the part of the brain where the optic nerves partially cross), bilaterality does not play a role in the new diagnosis codes.

However, the disorder of visual pathway does require codes to specify left or right side – of the brain. Read on for details on coding for these disorders.

Disorders of Optic Chiasm

• H47.41 – Disorders of optic chiasm in (due to) inflammatory disorders
• H47.42 – Disorders of optic chiasm in (due to) neoplasm
• H47.43 – Disorders of optic chiasm in (due to) vascular disorders
• H47.49 – Disorders of optic chiasm in (due to) other disorders

Disorders of Visual Pathways

• H47.511 – Disorders of visual pathways in (due to) inflammatory disorders, right side
• H47.512 –... left side
• H47.519 –... unspecified side
• H47.521 – Disorders of visual pathways in (due to) neoplasm, right side
• H47.522 –... left side
• H47.529 –... unspecified side
• H47.531 – Disorders of visual pathways in (due to) vascular disorders, right side
• H47.532 – ... left side
• H47.539 –... unspecified side

Cortical Blindness

• H47.611 – Cortical blindness, right side of brain
• H47.612 –... left side of brain
• H47.619 – ... unspecified side of brain

Unspecified Visual Pathway Disorder

• H47.9 – Unspecified disorder of visual pathways

Resource: For more information on the ICD-10 conversion, as well as specific ICD-9 to ICD-10 code bridges, visit https://www.aapc.com/codes/.