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S05.50XS vs S05.51XS

S05.50XS (Penetrating wound with foreign body of unspecified eyeball, sequela) compared with S05.51XS (Penetrating wound with foreign body of right eyeball, sequela), from the official CMS tabular data. S05.50XS and S05.51XS code the same condition on opposite sides. MedCoder-derived

Can these codes be reported together?

Review

Laterality relationship

S05.50XS
Unspecified
Penetrating wound with foreign body of unspecified eyeball, sequela
S05.51XS
Right
Penetrating wound with foreign body of right eyeball, sequela

What we found

Same condition, opposite side.S05.50XS and S05.51XS name the same condition on opposite sides of the body.

Same category and title, differing only in which side is affected — the documentation decides which one applies, and a bilateral code is reported only where the code set provides one.

What to review

Report the side the documentation names. Where the code set provides a bilateral code and both sides are documented, use it instead of the pair.

Guide: Laterality codingCheck these on a claim

Why it matters

These codes share a category and title and differ only in the side affected. The documentation decides which applies, and a bilateral code is reported only where the code set provides one.

Source / rule

ICD-10-CM tabular list (laterality variant derived from the code title)

Side by side

S05.50XSPenetrating wound with foreign body of unspecified eyeball, sequelaS05.51XSPenetrating wound with foreign body of right eyeball, sequela
Billing statusBillableBillable
ClassificationS00-T88 — Injury, Poisoning and Certain Other Consequences of External Causes (S00-T88)S00-T88 — Injury, Poisoning and Certain Other Consequences of External Causes (S00-T88)
DefinitionPenetrating wound with foreign body of unspecified eyeball, sequela is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (S05.50XS).Penetrating wound with foreign body of right eyeball, sequela is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (S05.51XS).
7th characterThe appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category S05The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category S05
Includes
open wound of eye and orbit
injuries of ear
injuries of eye
injuries of face [any part]
open wound of eye and orbit
injuries of ear
injuries of eye
injuries of face [any part]
Excludes2
retained (old) intraocular foreign body (H44.6-, H44.7)
2nd cranial [optic] nerve injury (S04.0-)
3rd cranial [oculomotor] nerve injury (S04.1-)
open wound of eyelid and periocular area (S01.1-)
orbital bone fracture (S02.1-, S02.3-, S02.8-)
superficial injury of eyelid (S00.1-S00.2)
burns and corrosions (T20-T32)
effects of foreign body in ear (T16)
effects of foreign body in larynx (T17.3)
effects of foreign body in mouth NOS (T18.0)
effects of foreign body in nose (T17.0-T17.1)
effects of foreign body in pharynx (T17.2)
effects of foreign body on external eye (T15.-)
frostbite (T33-T34)
insect bite or sting, venomous (T63.4)
retained (old) intraocular foreign body (H44.6-, H44.7)
2nd cranial [optic] nerve injury (S04.0-)
3rd cranial [oculomotor] nerve injury (S04.1-)
open wound of eyelid and periocular area (S01.1-)
orbital bone fracture (S02.1-, S02.3-, S02.8-)
superficial injury of eyelid (S00.1-S00.2)
burns and corrosions (T20-T32)
effects of foreign body in ear (T16)
effects of foreign body in larynx (T17.3)
effects of foreign body in mouth NOS (T18.0)
effects of foreign body in nose (T17.0-T17.1)
effects of foreign body in pharynx (T17.2)
effects of foreign body on external eye (T15.-)
frostbite (T33-T34)
insect bite or sting, venomous (T63.4)
Code also
for any associated infection
for any associated infection

Notes are the code’s own tabular entry, quoted as published. A note that names the other code is the one the verdict above rests on.

Derived from the official CMS ICD-10-CM tabular data (FY2026). A coding-rule comparison, not billing advice: payer-specific edits and medical-necessity policy are outside its scope. All data sources