Drug/chem diab with mild nonp rtnop w/o mclr edema, l eye

This code signifies diabetes mellitus that has been caused by a drug or chemical, specifically presenting with early-stage diabetic retinopathy in the left eye. The retinopathy is characterized by mild nonproliferative changes without any swelling of the macula.

Apply this code when a patient's diabetes is directly attributed to medication or chemical exposure, and an ophthalmological examination confirms mild nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy affecting only the left eye, with no evidence of macular edema. Documentation should clearly link the diabetes to a specific drug or chemical and detail the specific findings of the retinal examination.

• Always sequence the drug or chemical causing the diabetes as an additional code to fully describe the etiology.
• Ensure documentation specifies "left eye" and the absence of macular edema; otherwise, a less specific code may be required.
• Distinguish from type 1 or type 2 diabetes with retinopathy; this code is exclusively for drug/chemical-induced diabetes.