H40 vs H44.51

H40 (Glaucoma) compared with H44.51 (Absolute glaucoma), from the official CMS tabular data. Do not report these codes together: the official tabular list marks them Excludes1.

Can these codes be reported together?

No — do not report together. H40 carries an Excludes1 note covering H44.51: “absolute glaucoma (H44.51-)”

Sole exception: when the two conditions are documented as unrelated to each other (ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, Section I.A.12.a).

Side by side

	H40Glaucoma	H44.51Absolute glaucoma
Billing status	Non-billable header Report instead: H40.001, H40.002, H40.003, H40.009, H40.011	Non-billable header Report instead: H44.511, H44.512, H44.513, H44.519
Classification	H00-H59 — Diseases of the Eye and Adnexa (H00-H59)	H00-H59 — Diseases of the Eye and Adnexa (H00-H59)
Definition	Glaucoma is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (H40).	Absolute glaucoma is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (H44.51).
Includes	—	disorders affecting multiple structures of eye

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Derived from the official CMS ICD-10-CM tabular data (FY2026). Not billing advice; verify sequencing rules for the encounter. All data sources