2024 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code H49.819

Kearns-Sayre syndrome, unspecified eye

ICD-10-CM Code:
H49.819
ICD-10 Code for:
Kearns-Sayre syndrome, unspecified eye
Is Billable?
Yes - Valid for Submission
Chronic Condition Indicator: [1]
Chronic
Code Navigator:

Code Classification

  • Diseases of the eye and adnexa
    (H00–H59)
    • Disorders of ocular muscles, binocular movement, accommodation and refraction
      (H49-H52)
      • Paralytic strabismus
        (H49)

H49.819 is a billable diagnosis code used to specify a medical diagnosis of kearns-sayre syndrome, unspecified eye. The code is valid during the current fiscal year for the submission of HIPAA-covered transactions from October 01, 2023 through September 30, 2024.

Unspecified diagnosis codes like H49.819 are acceptable when clinical information is unknown or not available about a particular condition. Although a more specific code is preferable, unspecified codes should be used when such codes most accurately reflect what is known about a patient's condition. Specific diagnosis codes should not be used if not supported by the patient's medical record.

Approximate Synonyms

The following clinical terms are approximate synonyms or lay terms that might be used to identify the correct diagnosis code:

  • Kearns-Sayre syndrome

Clinical Classification

Clinical CategoryCCSR Category CodeInpatient Default CCSROutpatient Default CCSR
Neuro-ophthalmologyEYE006Y - Yes, default inpatient assignment for principal diagnosis or first-listed diagnosis.Y - Yes, default outpatient assignment for principal diagnosis or first-listed diagnosis.
StrabismusEYE007N - Not default inpatient assignment for principal diagnosis or first-listed diagnosis.N - Not default outpatient assignment for principal diagnosis or first-listed diagnosis.

Code Edits

The Medicare Code Editor (MCE) detects and reports errors in the coding of claims data. The following ICD-10-CM Code Edits are applicable to this code:

  • Unspecified codes - Unspecified codes exist in the ICD-10-CM classification for circumstances when documentation in the medical record does not provide the level of detail needed to support reporting a more specific code. However, in the inpatient setting, there should generally be very limited and rare circumstances for which the laterality (right, left, bilateral) of a condition is unable to be documented and reported. The following pages contain the list of unspecified ICD-10-CM diagnosis codes for which there is a more specific code to identify laterality (right, left, bilateral) within that code family.

Convert H49.819 to ICD-9-CM

  • ICD-9-CM Code: 277.87 - Dis mitochondrial metab
    Approximate Flag - The approximate mapping means there is not an exact match between the ICD-10 and ICD-9 codes and the mapped code is not a precise representation of the original code.

Patient Education


Eye Movement Disorders

When you look at an object, you're using several muscles to move both eyes to focus on it. If you have a problem with the muscles, the eyes don't work properly.

There are many kinds of eye movement disorders. Two common ones are:

  • Strabismus - a disorder in which the two eyes don't line up in the same direction. This results in "crossed eyes" or "walleye."
  • Nystagmus - fast, uncontrollable movements of the eyes, sometimes called "dancing eyes"

Some eye movement disorders are present at birth. Others develop over time and may be associated with other problems, such as injuries. Treatments include glasses, patches, eye muscle exercises, and surgery. There is no cure for some kinds of eye movement disorders, such as most kinds of nystagmus.


[Learn More in MedlinePlus]

Kearns-Sayre syndrome

Kearns-Sayre syndrome is a condition that affects many parts of the body, especially the eyes. The features of Kearns-Sayre syndrome usually appear before age 20, and the condition is diagnosed by a few characteristic signs and symptoms. People with Kearns-Sayre syndrome have progressive external ophthalmoplegia, which is weakness or paralysis of the eye muscles that impairs eye movement and causes drooping eyelids (ptosis). Affected individuals also have an eye condition called pigmentary retinopathy, which results from breakdown (degeneration) of the light-sensing tissue at the back of the eye (the retina) that gives it a speckled and streaked appearance. The retinopathy may cause loss of vision. In addition, people with Kearns-Sayre syndrome have at least one of the following signs or symptoms: abnormalities of the electrical signals that control the heartbeat (cardiac conduction defects), problems with coordination and balance that cause unsteadiness while walking (ataxia), or abnormally high levels of protein in the fluid that surrounds and protects the brain and spinal cord (the cerebrospinal fluid or CSF).

People with Kearns-Sayre syndrome may also experience muscle weakness in their limbs, deafness, kidney problems, or a deterioration of cognitive functions (dementia). Affected individuals often have short stature. In addition, diabetes mellitus is occasionally seen in people with Kearns-Sayre syndrome.

When the muscle cells of affected individuals are stained and viewed under a microscope, these cells usually appear abnormal. The abnormal muscle cells contain an excess of structures called mitochondria and are known as ragged-red fibers.

A related condition called ophthalmoplegia-plus may be diagnosed if an individual has many of the signs and symptoms of Kearns-Sayre syndrome but not all the criteria are met.


[Learn More in MedlinePlus]

Code History

  • FY 2024 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2023 through 9/30/2024
  • FY 2023 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2022 through 9/30/2023
  • FY 2022 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2021 through 9/30/2022
  • FY 2021 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2020 through 9/30/2021
  • FY 2020 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2019 through 9/30/2020
  • FY 2019 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2018 through 9/30/2019
  • FY 2018 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2017 through 9/30/2018
  • FY 2017 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2016 through 9/30/2017
  • FY 2016 - New Code, effective from 10/1/2015 through 9/30/2016. This was the first year ICD-10-CM was implemented into the HIPAA code set.

Footnotes

[1] Chronic - a chronic condition code indicates a condition lasting 12 months or longer and its effect on the patient based on one or both of the following criteria:

  • The condition results in the need for ongoing intervention with medical products,treatment, services, and special equipment
  • The condition places limitations on self-care, independent living, and social interactions.