P15.3: Birth injury to eye
During the birth one or both eyes were injured.
The child is subjected to great pressure during a vaginal birth. This pressure is necessary for the child to be born through the pelvis and the vagina. The pressure, along with the narrow birth canal, can cause injuries to the child’s eye. But injuries can also occur with a Caesarean or when a forceps or vacuum cup are used.
The child’s eye can suffer various injuries. It may also be, for example, that the great pressure during the birth causes small blood vessels in the eye to burst. Bleeding will then be visible beneath the conjunctiva of the eye. The conjunctiva covers the inside of the eyelids and the eyeball. An eye injury can also cause damage to the optic nerve. The optic nerve begins at the back of the eye. It sends visual images on to the brain. Damage to the child’s optic nerve can impair vision.
Additional indicator
On medical documents, the ICD code is often appended by letters that indicate the diagnostic certainty or the affected side of the body.
- G: Confirmed diagnosis
- V: Tentative diagnosis
- Z: Condition after
- A: Excluded diagnosis
- L: Left
- R: Right
- B: Both sides
Further information
Note
This information is not intended for self-diagnosis and does not replace professional medical advice from a doctor. If you find an ICD code on a personal medical document, please also note the additional indicator used for diagnostic confidence.Your doctor will assist you with any health-related questions and explain the ICD diagnosis code to you in a direct consultation if necessary.
Source
Provided by the non-profit organization “Was hab’ ich?” gemeinnützige GmbH on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG).