endophthalmitis

DEFINITION of endophthalmitis

Endophthalmitis is a serious, sight-threatening intraocular infection involving the vitreous humor and/or aqueous humor, and potentially all internal ocular structures. It may be exogenous (introduced from outside the eye, most commonly post-surgical or post-traumatic) or endogenous (hematogenous spread from a distant infectious source). The infection triggers an intense inflammatory response involving the uveal tract,vitreous cavity, and retina. Without prompt treatment — typically intravitreal antibiotic/antifungal injection and/or CPT 67036: Pars Plana Vitrectomy (PPV) — permanent vision loss or loss of the eye can result.

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ETYMOLOGY of endophthalmitis

greek From Greek and Latin roots:

• endo- (Greek: ἔνδον) — within
• ophthalmos (Greek: ὀφθαλμός) — eye
• -itis (Greek) — inflammation

Literally: “inflammation within the eye”

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🔗 RELATED TERMS

• Uveitis / Panuveitis
• Sympathetic ophthalmia
• Vitritis
• Hypopyon (pus in anterior chamber — a hallmark sign)
• Vitreous abscess
• chorioretinitis
• Staphylococcus epidermidis endophthalmitis (most common post-surgical organism)
• Bacillus cereus endophthalmitis (post-traumatic)
• Candida / Aspergillus (endogenous fungal)

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CODING AND NUANCES

H44.0 — Purulent Endophthalmitis

(Excludes: bleb-associated endophthalmitis — H59.4)

🏥 ICD-10-CM Codes

(All codes below are HIPAA-valid, fully specified)

Purulent Endophthalmitis (H44.0x)

Code	Description
H44.001	Unspecified purulent endophthalmitis, right eye
H44.002	Unspecified purulent endophthalmitis, left eye
H44.003	Unspecified purulent endophthalmitis, bilateral
H44.009	Unspecified purulent endophthalmitis, unspecified eye
H44.011	Panophthalmitis (acute), right eye
H44.012	Panophthalmitis (acute), left eye
H44.013	Panophthalmitis (acute), bilateral
H44.019	Panophthalmitis (acute), unspecified eye
H44.021	Vitreous abscess (chronic), right eye
H44.022	Vitreous abscess (chronic), left eye
H44.023	Vitreous abscess (chronic), bilateral
H44.029	Vitreous abscess (chronic), unspecified eye

Other Endophthalmitis (H44.1x)

H44.1 — Other Endophthalmitis

Code	Description
H44.111	Panuveitis, right eye
H44.112	Panuveitis, left eye
H44.113	Panuveitis, bilateral
H44.119	Panuveitis, unspecified eye
H44.121	Parasitic endophthalmitis, unspecified, right eye
H44.122	Parasitic endophthalmitis, unspecified, left eye
H44.123	Parasitic endophthalmitis, unspecified, bilateral
H44.129	Parasitic endophthalmitis, unspecified, unspecified eye
H44.131	Sympathetic uveitis, right eye
H44.132	Sympathetic uveitis, left eye
H44.133	Sympathetic uveitis, bilateral
H44.139	Sympathetic uveitis, unspecified eye
H44.191	Other endophthalmitis, right eye
H44.192	Other endophthalmitis, left eye
H44.193	Other endophthalmitis, bilateral
H44.199	Other endophthalmitis, unspecified eye

Associated / Etiology Code

Code	Description
B73.01	Onchocerciasis with endophthalmitis

⚠️ Coding note: These ICD-10-CM codes range from 6-7 characters. The eye laterality codes (ending in 1 = right, 2 = left, 3 = bilateral, 9 = unspecified) represent the highest level of specificity available for this category — a 7th character is not applicable for the H44 category. Always code the causative organism additionally (e.g., B96.xx, B44.x for fungal) when documented.

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⚕️ CPT Codes (Commonly Associated)

CPT	Description
67028	Intravitreal injection of pharmacologic agent (e.g., intravitreal antibiotics/antifungals — first-line treatment)
67036	Vitrectomy, mechanical, pars plana approach (PPV for endophthalmitis)
65800	Paracentesis of anterior chamber of eye; with diagnostic aspiration of aqueous
65810	Paracentesis of anterior chamber with removal of blood, with or without irrigation
67005	Removal of vitreous, anterior approach (partial vitrectomy)

⚠️ CPT codes should always be verified against the current AMA CPT codebook and your facility’s charge description master, as they are updated annually.

Key Coding Notes

• Bleb-associated endophthalmitis → Use H59.4- (postprocedural, not H44)
• Postoperative endophthalmitis → May require an additional T code for the causative procedure complication
• Infectious etiology → Code the causative organism additionally (e.g., B95-B97 for bacterial/viral, or a specific organism code)
• Laterality is required — query the provider if documentation only states “eye” without specifying which
• Inpatient MS-DRG typically groups to MDC 02 (Diseases & Disorders of the Eye)

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DERIVATIONS of endophthalmitis

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Query functionality

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Med roots Appendix A Prefixes Appendix B Combining Forms Appendix C Suffixes Appendix D Suffix forms