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ICD-10-CM 2027 diagnosis code

H49.3Total (external) ophthalmoplegia

Not billable — use a more specific code

H49.3 is a header code, so it can't be reported by itself. Choose one of the 4 more specific codes beneath it.

Code unchanged since ICD-10-CM took effect on October 1, 2015. Source: official FY2027 ICD-10-CM release from CDC/NCHS and CMS. Page updated September 29, 2026. About our data

About H49.3

H49.3 is the ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for total (external) ophthalmoplegia. It belongs to category H49 (paralytic strabismus), block H49-H52 (disorders of ocular muscles, binocular movement, accommodation and refraction) and chapter 7 (diseases of the eye and adnexa). It is a header code, so it can't be reported by itself; one of its 4 subcodes must be used instead.

Within H49 (paralytic strabismus), H49.3 is specifically for total (external) ophthalmoplegia. Related codes cover third [oculomotor] nerve palsy (H49.0), fourth [trochlear] nerve palsy (H49.1), sixth [abducent] nerve palsy (H49.2), progressive external ophthalmoplegia (H49.4), other paralytic strabismus (H49.8) and unspecified paralytic strabismus (H49.9).

To report this condition, pick the subcode that matches the documentation: H49.30 (unspecified eye), H49.31 (right eye), H49.32 (left eye) and H49.33 (bilateral).

It has been part of ICD-10-CM since the code set took effect on October 1, 2015 and hasn't changed since.

Specific codes under H49.3

Notes that apply from higher levels

Instructions written at a parent level also apply to H49.3.

› From H49 Paralytic strabismus
Excludes2
  • internal ophthalmoplegia (H52.51-)
  • internuclear ophthalmoplegia (H51.2-)
  • progressive supranuclear ophthalmoplegia (G23.1)

Broader instructions also apply from H49-H52 Disorders of ocular muscles, binocular movement, accommodation and refraction and Chapter 7: Diseases of the eye and adnexa.

Alphabetic index entries

2 entries

Terms in the official ICD-10-CM index that lead to H49.3.

Code history

  1. 2016
  2. 2017
  3. 2018
  4. 2019
  5. 2020
  6. 2021
  7. 2022
  8. 2023
  9. 2024
  10. 2025
  11. 2026
  12. 2027
  • FY2016 (effective 10/1/2015): Added (first year of ICD-10-CM)
  • No changes since FY2016.

Common questions about H49.3

Is H49.3 billable?

No. H49.3 is a header code. Report one of its more specific subcodes instead.