Nonproliferative sickle-cell retinopathy, bilateral

This code describes a non-proliferative form of retinopathy affecting both eyes, specifically caused by sickle cell disease. It indicates retinal changes such as salmon patch hemorrhages, black sunbursts, or iridescent spots, without the presence of new vessel formation.

Use this code when documentation clearly states bilateral non-proliferative retinopathy in a patient with sickle cell disease. This diagnosis is typically made during an ophthalmic examination, often including fundus photography or optical coherence tomography (OCT).

• Ensure the documentation specifies "non-proliferative" and "bilateral" to accurately assign this code.
• Do not use this code if there is any mention of neovascularization; instead, consider codes for proliferative sickle-cell retinopathy.
• Always sequence the underlying sickle cell disease code first, as it is the etiology of the retinopathy.