H49 — Paralytic strabismus
Is H49 billable?
No — H49 is a non-billable header code. H49 groups more specific codes and cannot be submitted on a claim. A valid ICD-10-CM code must be reported at the highest level of specificity available in its branch. Select one of the 29 billable codes beneath H49.
Billable codes under this header
- H49.9Unspecified paralytic strabismus
- H49.00Third [oculomotor] nerve palsy, unspecified eye
- H49.01Third [oculomotor] nerve palsy, right eye
- H49.02Third [oculomotor] nerve palsy, left eye
- H49.03Third [oculomotor] nerve palsy, bilateral
- H49.10Fourth [trochlear] nerve palsy, unspecified eye
- H49.11Fourth [trochlear] nerve palsy, right eye
- H49.12Fourth [trochlear] nerve palsy, left eye
- H49.13Fourth [trochlear] nerve palsy, bilateral
- H49.20Sixth [abducent] nerve palsy, unspecified eye
- H49.21Sixth [abducent] nerve palsy, right eye
- H49.22Sixth [abducent] nerve palsy, left eye
- H49.23Sixth [abducent] nerve palsy, bilateral
- H49.30Total (external) ophthalmoplegia, unspecified eye
- H49.31Total (external) ophthalmoplegia, right eye
- H49.32Total (external) ophthalmoplegia, left eye
- H49.33Total (external) ophthalmoplegia, bilateral
- H49.40Progressive external ophthalmoplegia, unspecified eye
- H49.41Progressive external ophthalmoplegia, right eye
- H49.42Progressive external ophthalmoplegia, left eye
- H49.43Progressive external ophthalmoplegia, bilateral
- H49.811Kearns-Sayre syndrome, right eye
- H49.812Kearns-Sayre syndrome, left eye
- H49.813Kearns-Sayre syndrome, bilateral
- H49.819Kearns-Sayre syndrome, unspecified eye
- H49.881Other paralytic strabismus, right eye
- H49.882Other paralytic strabismus, left eye
- H49.883Other paralytic strabismus, bilateral
- H49.889Other paralytic strabismus, unspecified eye
H49 at a glance
| Code | H49 |
|---|---|
| Description | Paralytic strabismus |
| Billable | No — header code |
| Code set | ICD-10-CM FY2027 |
| Valid for encounters | October 1, 2026 – September 30, 2027 |
Excludes2 — not included here
The conditions below are not part of H49, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, H49 and the excluded code may both be reported.
Excludes2 — not included here — inherited from Chapter 7
The conditions below are not part of H49, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, H49 and the excluded code may both be reported.
- certain conditions originating in the perinatal period (P04-P96)
- certain infectious and parasitic diseases (A00-B99)
- complications of pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium (O00-O9A)
- congenital malformations, deformations, and chromosomal abnormalities (Q00-Q99)
- diabetes mellitus related eye conditions (E09.3-, E10.3-, E11.3-, E13.3-)
- endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases (E00-E88)
- injury (trauma) of eye and orbit (S05.-)
- injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes (S00-T88)
- neoplasms (C00-D49)
- symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified (R00-R94)
- syphilis related eye disorders (A50.01, A50.3-, A51.43, A52.71)
Excludes2 — not included here — inherited from H49-H52
The conditions below are not part of H49, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, H49 and the excluded code may both be reported.
- nystagmus and other irregular eye movements (H55)
What codes fall under H49? (7)
- H49.0Third [oculomotor] nerve palsynot billable
- H49.1Fourth [trochlear] nerve palsynot billable
- H49.2Sixth [abducent] nerve palsynot billable
- H49.3Total (external) ophthalmoplegianot billable
- H49.4Progressive external ophthalmoplegianot billable
- H49.8Other paralytic strabismusnot billable
- H49.9Unspecified paralytic strabismus
How long has H49 existed?
H49 has been in ICD-10-CM since at least FY2016, the earliest fiscal year on record here.
Derived from the official order files for FY2016–FY2026. FY2017 and FY2020 publish no order file, so those years are not covered.
Which codes are confused with H49?
ICD-10-CM declares these codes mutually exclusive with H49 — exactly one of each pair can be correct for a given encounter.