Nonproliferative sickle-cell retinopathy, right eye

This code describes the presence of nonproliferative retinopathy in the right eye, specifically caused by sickle cell disease. This form of retinopathy involves changes to the blood vessels in the retina, such as salmon patch hemorrhages, black sunbursts, and iridescent spots, without the growth of new, abnormal blood vessels.

Use this code when documentation clearly indicates nonproliferative retinal changes in the right eye attributed to sickle cell disease. This typically includes findings from an ophthalmological examination, such as fundoscopy or fluorescein angiography, confirming the specific nonproliferative features and laterality.

• Ensure the documentation specifies "nonproliferative" and the affected eye (right).
• Distinguish carefully from proliferative sickle-cell retinopathy (H36.813-H36.816), which involves neovascularization.
• Always code the underlying sickle cell disease (e.g., D57.00-D57.81) as the primary diagnosis, with this code as a secondary diagnosis.