H50.312 Intermittent monocular esotropia, left eye

ICD-10-CM Code H50.312: Intermittent monocular esotropia, left eye

ICD-10-CM code H50.312 represents intermittent monocular esotropia of the left eye, categorized under other strabismus. This billable code captures a specific diagnosis within the eye and adnexa chapter. Clinical literature notes that intermittent esotropia involves periods of normal alignment, which reduces the risk of abnormal binocularity compared to constant deviations. 1 3 4

Plain-language overview

Intermittent esotropia involves periods where ocular alignment is normal, and because of this partial normal alignment, the risk of abnormal binocularity is reduced compared to constant deviations. 1

What this code represents

The ICD-10-CM code H50.312 specifically denotes intermittent monocular esotropia of the left eye, and it is presented as a billable and specific code without any child codes. 4

Coding details

Code H50.312 is located in Chapter 7 for diseases of the eye and adnexa, within category H50 for other strabismus and subcategory H50.31 for intermittent monocular esotropia. 4

ICD-10-CM introduced laterality for monocular exotropia, specifically H50.311 for the right eye and H50.312 for the left eye, representing a specificity that did not exist in ICD-9-CM. 3

Documentation considerations

Coders use sibling codes H50.31x for intermittent monocular esotropia and H50.32x for intermittent alternating esotropia when the clinical record specifies the type and laterality of the deviation. 3

The reference record for H50.312 lists no inclusion terms, no code first instruction, and no use additional code instruction. 4

What the sources add

While S4 establishes the hierarchical placement and billing specificity of H50.312, S3 provides operational context by contrasting it with the unspecified code H50.30 used when laterality is undocumented. 3 4

S1 discusses the clinical presentation and resolution of intermittent esotropia, whereas S2 describes the progression and management of intermittent exotropia, representing distinct forms of ocular misalignment. 1 2

Clinical context

Clinical guidance indicates that strabismus in children under four months of age with an intermittent deviation may resolve without treatment, and intermittent esotropia during the first three months of life does not necessarily predict constant strabismus. 1

Sources

1. PEDIATRIC OPHTHALMOLOGY/STRABISMUS PREFERRED PRACTICE PATTERN DEVELOPMENT PROCESS AND PARTICIPANTS — pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov; accessed 2026-07-25.
2. Bookshelf — ncbi.nlm.nih.gov; accessed 2026-07-25.
3. ICD-10 Code H50.30: Unspecified intermittent heterotropia — pabau.com; accessed 2026-07-25.
4. ICD-10-CM Code H50.312 | Vero — veroscribe.com; accessed 2026-07-25.