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E50.5 ICD-10-CM Code: Vitamin A deficiency with night blindness

Billing Status: YES. This is a valid, specific, and billable ICD-10-CM reference.

Coding at a Glance

Tabular directives
1 Excludes1 · 1 Excludes2

Inpatient Payment Groups (MS-DRG)

Potential MS-DRG participation — not a DRG assignment.

MS-DRGs this diagnosis helps define, as principal or secondary, per the CMS ICD-10-CM/PCS MS-DRG Definitions Manual v44, Appendix B.

  • MS-DRG 124 — OTHER DISORDERS OF THE EYE WITH MCC OR THROMBOLYTIC AGENT (MDC 02)
  • MS-DRG 125 — OTHER DISORDERS OF THE EYE WITHOUT MCC (MDC 02)

A diagnosis appearing in a group's logic does not by itself determine the DRG assigned to a stay; the grouper uses the full claim.

Coding instructions

Official Tabular Instructional Notes: the inclusion, exclusion and sequencing notes published for E50.5 in the official ICD-10-CM tabular list, quoted as published.

Source: CMS/CDC — ICD-10-CM Tabular ListRelease: FY2027Effective: October 1, 2026

Trace:FY2027 changesChange historyRelease, file and checksum

Notes without a marker are published on E50.5 itself; “inherited from” names the category or block whose note applies here.

Excludes1 — Not Coded Here

Conditions generally not reported together with this code (Excludes1) -- an error unless the two conditions are documented as unrelated to each other (ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, Section I.A.12.a).

Source: inherited from E50

Excludes2 — Not Included Here

Conditions not covered by this code, but which may be reported alongside it when both are present.

Source: inherited from E50-E64

Coder workflow for E50.5

MedCoder structured workflow — derived from this code’s own official record

Before you code E50.5

  1. E50.5’s title joins a condition with an associated condition or complication. Confirm each component is documented. Where the classification presumes the link through the “with” convention, only a provider statement that the conditions are unrelated defeats it. A combination code is assigned only when it fully identifies the documented conditions; a required second code for the stage, type or manifestation is still reported when the notes ask for it (Guidelines I.B.9, I.A.15).

    Guide: Combination codes →

  2. Check the Excludes1 note: if the documentation supports a condition named there, do not simply proceed with E50.5. Excludes1 conditions are not reported together with this code unless the record shows they are unrelated (Guidelines I.A.12.a).

    See the official tabular notes

Choose the right path

  1. Does the documentation support a condition named in E50.5’s Excludes1 note?
    Yes → Do not simply proceed: review the excluded code. Both are reported only when the record shows the two conditions are unrelated.
    No → Continue.

    ReviewE64.1

Consider E50.5. Then confirm the code is valid for the date of service in the Verify section.

Documentation check

The provider’s diagnostic statement
Codes are assigned from the provider’s documented diagnosis, not from clinical criteria, test values or a medication list (Guidelines I.A.19).
The associated condition or complication
Whether the associated condition the title names is documented; the “with” convention presumes some links, and a provider statement that the conditions are unrelated defeats it (Guidelines I.A.15).

Official instructions as workflow

  • Excludes1 — check before selecting E50.5(1 note)

    Coding workflow: If the documentation supports a condition named in this note, do not simply proceed with E50.5: the two are not reported together. The one exception is when the record shows the two conditions are unrelated to each other.

    CompareE64.1

    See the official tabular notes · Guidelines I.A.12.a

  • Excludes2 — not part of E50.5(1 note)

    Coding workflow: The conditions named in this note are not included in E50.5. When the record documents both, both may be reported; the note is a boundary, not a prohibition.

    See the official tabular notes · Guidelines I.A.12.b

Coding decision scenarios

Pattern scenarios for this code’s structure — decision rules, not clinical cases

Documentation: Both the condition E50.5 describes and a condition named in its Excludes1 note are documented for the same encounter.

Coding question: Can both codes be reported?

Path: Review the Excludes1 note and the excluded code, and look for a provider statement on whether the two conditions are related.

Reason: Excludes1 means the two are not coded together; the exception is when the record shows the conditions are unrelated to each other (Guidelines I.A.12.a).

ReviewE64.1

Documentation: Only one of the components this code’s title joins is documented.

Coding question: Is E50.5 supported?

Path: Review the code for the documented component on its own.

Reason: A combination code is assigned only when it fully identifies the documented conditions; otherwise the documented component takes its own code (Guidelines I.B.9).

Every row is derived from this code’s own record — its title, tabular notes, 7th-character family and same-category siblings — with fixed MedCoder wording; nothing is inferred about a patient. The official notes and guideline text are in the sections each row links to, and they control.

Don’t confuse E50.5 with…

MedCoder analysis — pairs from this code’s official notes, distinctions written by MedCoder

The codes most likely to be picked instead of E50.5 — named in its own official notes, or sharing its laterality or encounter family — with what separates them and which documentation moves the case. Each links to the full comparison.

  • E64.1— Excludes1 conflict (Excludes1 — generally not reported together)

    Not coded here — the tabular list excludes this pair for the same encounter.

    Not reported together with this code, except where the two conditions are documented as unrelated.

    What moves you there: Documentation of sequelae of vitamin A deficiency moves the case to E64.1; the two are not reported together unless documented as unrelated.

    Full comparison: E50.5 vs E64.1 →

  • E50.9— Specificity relationship (Review)

    Overlapping diagnoses in the same category.

    Overlapping codes in the same category — the documentation decides which is the more specific fit.

    What moves you there: A record that documents no more than “Vitamin A deficiency, unspecified” takes E50.9; specificity in the record moves it back here.

    Full comparison: E50.5 vs E50.9 →

  • D50— Excludes2 relationship (Informational)

    Distinct conditions — both may be reported.

    A distinct condition — both may be reported when both are documented.

    What moves you there: Documentation of nutritional anemias adds D50; it is not part of this code and both may be reported when both are documented.

    Full comparison: E50.5 vs D50 →

  • D53— Excludes2 relationship (Informational)

    Distinct conditions — both may be reported.

    A distinct condition — both may be reported when both are documented.

    What moves you there: Documentation of nutritional anemias adds D53; it is not part of this code and both may be reported when both are documented.

    Full comparison: E50.5 vs D53 →

Relationships are read from this code's own official notes, its laterality siblings and its encounter family; the wording of each distinction is MedCoder editorial, and the documentation named in each “what moves you there” line is the official note phrase or sibling title itself. Source: CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes; ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, Section I.A.12.a.

Code Overview

Vitamin A deficiency with night blindness is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (E50.5).

MedCoder summary Summary composed by MedCoder from this code's official ICD-10-CM record. The tabular instructional notes themselves appear verbatim below.

Indexed Clinical Terms (4)

Official source data — entries quoted as published, in the Index’s own lookup phrasing

Clinical term phrases from the official ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries that map to this code. These are alphabetic-index entries shown as the Index writes them — lookup phrasing, not necessarily the wording of a final diagnosis.

Verify Before Coding

  • No Medicare Code Editor or MS-DRG Definitions Manual restrictions apply to this code.

From the code registry, the Medicare Code Editor, and the MS-DRG Definitions Manual. Check it against a full claim in Claim Check.

Relationships & Classification

MedCoder structured relationships — computed from published CMS and AHRQ datasets

Other codes that name E50.5 or its code family, from the CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes. Tabular-note edges are stored at the code family level that carries each note.

Referenced by 5 Excludes1 notes across 3 chapters: H53.0 — Amblyopia ex anopsia, H53.1 — Subjective visual disturbances, H53.6 — Night blindness, T45.2X6 — Underdosing of vitamins (via E50.-), Z72.4 — Inappropriate diet and eating habits (via E50.-).

These codes’ tabular lists mark this diagnosis as mutually exclusive — not reported together unless the conditions are documented as unrelated.

Referenced by 1 Code First instruction: G63 — Polyneuropathy in diseases classified elsewhere (via E50.-).

Each of these codes carries a Code First note naming this condition — when that code is reported, THIS code is sequenced first, ahead of it.

MS-DRG Grouper Relationships (FY2027)

Potential MS-DRG participation — not a DRG assignment.

FY2027 MS-DRG: not on the CMS CC/MCC list — as a secondary diagnosis this code does not change MS-DRG severity for that release.

Named in the grouper logic of 2 MS-DRGs: DRG 124 (MDC 02), DRG 125 (MDC 02).

From the CMS MS-DRG Definitions Manual (Appendices B and C). Actual DRG assignment depends on the complete claim.

Clinical classification (AHRQ CCSR):END007 — Nutritional deficiencies (default).

Clinical Classifications Software Refined (CCSR) for ICD-10-CM Diagnoses. Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

Related Codes

Same clinical category (CCSR)

AHRQ's Clinical Classifications Software groups these diagnoses under the same clinical category (Nutritional deficiencies).

E50.0 — Vitamin A deficiency with conjunctival xerosis, E50.1 — Vitamin A deficiency with Bitot's spot and conjunctival xerosis, E50.2 — Vitamin A deficiency with corneal xerosis, E50.3 — Vitamin A deficiency with corneal ulceration and xerosis, E50.4 — Vitamin A deficiency with keratomalacia, E50.6 — Vitamin A deficiency with xerophthalmic scars of cornea, E50.7 — Other ocular manifestations of vitamin A deficiency, E50.8 — Other manifestations of vitamin A deficiency, E50.9 — Vitamin A deficiency, unspecified, E51.11 — Dry beriberi, E51.12 — Wet beriberi, E51.2 — Wernicke's encephalopathy, E51.8 — Other manifestations of thiamine deficiency, E51.9 — Thiamine deficiency, unspecified, E52 — Niacin deficiency [pellagra], E53.0 — Riboflavin deficiency, E53.1 — Pyridoxine deficiency, E53.8 — Deficiency of other specified B group vitamins, E53.9 — Vitamin B deficiency, unspecified, E54 — Ascorbic acid deficiency, +23 more

Same Index main term, other category

The ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries files this code under the main term “Deficiency, deficient”; these codes share that main term but sit in a different category of the Tabular List.

E28.39 — Other primary ovarian failure (ovarian), E29.1 — Testicular hypofunction (5-alpha reductase), E31.0 — Autoimmune polyglandular failure (polyglandular, autoimmune), E31.8 — Other polyglandular dysfunction (polyglandular), E34.328 — Other genetic causes of short stature (short stature homeobox gene, with, short stature), E34.9 — Endocrine disorder, unspecified (endocrine), E41 — Nutritional marasmus (calorie, severe, with marasmus), E42 — Marasmic kwashiorkor (calorie, severe, with marasmus, and kwashiorkor), E43 — Unspecified severe protein-calorie malnutrition (calorie, severe), E46 — Unspecified protein-calorie malnutrition (protein), E51.11 — Dry beriberi (thiamin, thiaminic, beriberi), E51.12 — Wet beriberi (thiamin, thiaminic, beriberi, wet), E51.9 — Thiamine deficiency, unspecified (aneurin), E52 — Niacin deficiency [pellagra] (niacin), E53.0 — Riboflavin deficiency (riboflavin), E53.1 — Pyridoxine deficiency (pyracin), E53.8 — Deficiency of other specified B group vitamins (biotin), E53.9 — Vitamin B deficiency, unspecified (vitamin NOS, BNOS), E54 — Ascorbic acid deficiency (ascorbic acid), E55.9 — Vitamin D deficiency, unspecified (ergosterol), +196 more

Contextual Map

Every relationship of E50.5 in one view: hierarchy, official tabular instructions in both directions, clinical classification, risk adjustment, MS-DRG participation, index terms and change history — each edge carrying the CMS source it derives from.

Run E50.5 with these 6 related codes in Claim Check

Hierarchy

Referenced by Excludes1 notes

Referenced by Code First instructions

Clinical classification (CCSR)

MS-DRG Grouper

MDC crossing

  • MDC 02 — Diseases and Disorders of the Eye[MDC crossing]: “Diseases and Disorders of the Eye — the grouper's crossing between diagnoses and procedures: a principal diagnosis sets the MDC, and same-MDC procedures move the stay to its surgical DRGs. 1,200 same-MDC procedures group here; browse them on the MDC page.”— CMS MS-DRG Definitions Manual · FY2027

Index entries

  • Amblyopia (congenital) (ex anopsia) (partial) (suppression), nocturnal, vitamin A deficiency[Index term]— CMS ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries · icd10cm-fy2027
  • Blindness (acquired) (congenital) (both eyes), night, vitamin A deficiency[Index term]— CMS ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries · icd10cm-fy2027
  • Deficiency, deficient, vitamin NOS (multiple), A, with, night blindness[Index term]— CMS ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries · icd10cm-fy2027
  • Hemeralopia (day blindness), vitamin A deficiency[Index term]— CMS ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries · icd10cm-fy2027

Nearest codes (10)

Change history

  • FY2016 — In the code set at ICD-10-CM adoption [Change history]— CMS release files (code change ledger) · icd10cm-fy2016

Sources for this page

Codes, titles, notes, index terms and mappings on this page are transcribed from the datasets below. Relationships MedCoder computed and text MedCoder wrote are labelled where they appear.

Code, title, tabular notes and index terms Official source data
CMS/CDC ICD-10-CM FY2027 tabular list, index and tables, effective October 1, 2026 Release, file and checksum · Publisher’s page
Claim edits Official source data
CMS Definitions of Medicare Code Edits — v44.0 (October 2026) Release, file and checksum · Publisher’s page
Inpatient payment groups Official source data
CMS MS-DRG Definitions Manual (incl. Appendix B diagnosis index, Appendix C CC/MCC list, Appendix E procedure index) and IPPS Final Rule tables — v44 Release, file and checksum · Publisher’s page
Change history and date-of-service validity Official source data
CMS ICD-10-CM release addenda, ingested release by release into the change ledger Release, file and checksum · Publisher’s page
Comparisons, relationships and the contextual map MedCoder structured relationship
Computed by MedCoder from the tabular notes and tables above; every derived relationship is marked as derived where it appears
Summary and FAQ answers MedCoder explanation
Written by MedCoder to explain the sources above: drafted with AI assistance, checked by a person against the release files, and labelled as MedCoder text where it appears. Not official text.

Labels on this page: Official source data · MedCoder structured relationship · MedCoder explanation. How to read the labels · All data sources and release dates

Cite this page

Reference this page in a research guide, syllabus or article. The release is included because code content changes each year.

MedCoder.ai. "E50.5 — Vitamin A deficiency with night blindness." ICD-10-CM FY2027. https://medcoder.ai/icd10/code/e50.5-vitamin-a-deficiency-with-night-blindness

Change history

  • FY2016 — October 1, 2015
    In the code set at ICD-10-CM adoption
    Vitamin A deficiency with night blindness

No changes since FY2016 — additions, deletions, description changes and billable-status changes are tracked through FY2027, and none are recorded for this code. Note changes are tracked from FY2027 only.

Nearest Codes in This Family

Official ICD-10-CM classifications closest to E50.5 in its code family, with their registry titles.

View all codes in the E50 family