2027 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code H44.029Vitreous abscess (chronic), unspecified eye

ICD-10-CM Codes›H00–H59›H43-H44›H44

ICD-10-CM H44.029
CMSSource: CMS FY 2027 ICD-10-CM dataset · Effective Oct 1, 2026 – Sep 30, 2027

H44.029 is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for vitreous abscess (chronic), unspecified eye. It is valid on HIPAA claims for fiscal year 2027 (October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027) and groups to MS-DRG 121 through 122. As a secondary diagnosis, it counts as a complication or comorbidity (CC) and moves an inpatient stay to a higher severity level within its MS-DRG family. It does not count, however, when the principal diagnosis is one of 37 closely related codes. The code is flagged as an unspecified code, since codes identifying laterality exist in the same family. Coders also document this condition as vitreous abscess. In AHRQ's Clinical Classifications Software (CCSR), this diagnosis falls under Uveitis and ocular inflammation.

Code Identity

ICD-10-CM Code
H44.029
Billable Status
Yes — Valid for Submission
Code Describes
Vitreous abscess (chronic), unspecified eye
Short Description
Vitreous abscess (chronic), unspecified eye
Same as the full description in the CMS dataset.
Parent Code
H44.02
Vitreous abscess (chronic)

Code Classification

ChapterH00–H59Diseases of the eye and adnexa
SectionH43-H44Disorders of vitreous body and globe
CategoryH44Disorders of globe
This CodeH44.029Vitreous abscess (chronic), unspecified eye

Code EditsBilling

Medicare Code Editor checks that affect claim validity for H44.029.

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.

Approximate SynonymsGuidance

Alternate terms and clinical phrases that map to this code.

  • Vitreous abscess

Instructional NotesGuidance

Instructions from the official ICD-10-CM Tabular List that apply to H44.029: its own notes plus those printed at H44.0, H44, and Chapter 7. A note printed at a category, block or chapter applies to every code under it.

Includes

Further defines, or gives examples of, the content of the category.

From H44 Disorders of globe applies to 158 codes
  • disorders affecting multiple structures of eye

Excludes1

Not coded here: the excluded code is never reported together with this one, unless the two conditions are unrelated.

From H44.0 Purulent endophthalmitis applies to 12 codes
  • bleb associated endophthalmitis (H59.4-)

Excludes2

Not included here: the excluded condition is not part of this code, but a patient may have both, so both codes may be reported.

From Chapter 7 (H00-H59) Diseases of the eye and adnexa applies to 2,677 codes
  • 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)

Use Additional Code

Add a second code, after this one, to fully describe the condition.

From H44.0 Purulent endophthalmitis applies to 12 codes
  • code to identify organism

Notes

General instructions on how these codes are used.

From Chapter 7 (H00-H59) Diseases of the eye and adnexa applies to 2,677 codes
  • Use an external cause code following the code for the eye condition, if applicable, to identify the cause of the eye condition

Source: CMS ICD-10-CM Tabular List. How to read instructional notes.

Referenced in Other NotesGuidance

Instructional notes printed at other codes that name H44.029, its category, or a range that includes it.

Excludes2 1

These codes carry an Excludes2 note naming H44.029: its condition is not part of those codes, and both may be reported when the patient has both.

  • H43.8 Other disorders of vitreous body
    vitreous abscess (H44.02-) names H44.02-, which includes this code

Clinical ClassificationClinical

AHRQ’s CCSR groups this code into broader clinical categories.

CCSR EYE004
Uveitis and ocular inflammation
Default principal diagnosis: inpatient Yes · outpatient Yes

Patient EducationClinical

Abscess

An abscess is a pocket of pus. You can get an abscess almost anywhere in your body. When an area of your body becomes infected, your body's immune system tries to fight the infection. White blood cells go to the infected area, collect within the damaged tissue, and cause inflammation. During this process, pus forms.

Read the full article at MedlinePlus

Courtesy of MedlinePlus, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

Convert H44.029 to ICD-9-CMHistory

The closest ICD-9-CM equivalents under the General Equivalence Mappings.

ICD-9-CM
360.04 Vitreous abscess
Approximate The match is approximate rather than exact.

Code HistoryHistory

FY 2016AddedAdded to the ICD-10-CM code setEffective October 1, 2015, the first year of ICD-10-CM.
FY 2017–2026No changes
FY 2027CurrentCurrent code set, no changesEffective October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.

Questions About H44.029Overview

What is the ICD-10 code for vitreous abscess (chronic), unspecified eye?

The ICD-10-CM code for vitreous abscess (chronic), unspecified eye is H44.029 (sometimes written as H44029). It is billable on HIPAA-covered claims from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.

Is H44.029 (Vitreous abscess (chronic)) a billable code?

Yes. This is a billable ICD-10-CM code, specific enough to report vitreous abscess (chronic), unspecified eye on HIPAA-covered claims from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.

What MS-DRG does H44.029 group to?

When vitreous abscess (chronic), unspecified eye is the principal diagnosis on an inpatient stay, it groups to MS-DRG 122, 121, with relative weights from 0.7403 to 1.2249 depending on complications. Higher weights mean higher Medicare reimbursement.

Is H44.029 a CC or MCC?

CMS lists H44.029 as a CC (complication or comorbidity) for FY 2027. Reported as a secondary diagnosis, it moves the inpatient stay to a higher-weighted DRG within its severity family. It does not count when the principal diagnosis is one of the 37 closely related codes in its exclusion list.

Can H44.029 be reported with a code from H59.4?

Not as a rule. The Excludes1 note at H44.0, which applies to H44.029, lists "bleb associated endophthalmitis (H59.4-)". An Excludes1 note means the excluded code is never reported together with this one; the only exception is when the two conditions are unrelated to each other (Official Guidelines, Section I.A.12.a).