H44.643 Retained (old) magnetic foreign body in posterior wall of globe, bilateral

ICD-10-CM H44.643: Retained (old) magnetic foreign body in posterior wall of globe, bilateral

ICD-10-CM code H44.643 identifies a finding involving an old, retained magnetic foreign body located in the posterior wall of the globe, affecting both eyes. The terminology record is active and classifies this concept as a finding. Payer articles list this diagnosis within ophthalmic and head imaging guidance, but listing does not guarantee coverage. 1 3 5

Plain-language overview

Code H44.643 describes a clinical finding where an old magnetic object remains lodged in the posterior wall of the globe, and this specific code indicates the condition is present bilaterally. 1

What this code represents

The terminology record for H44.643 is active for the 2026 version of ICD-10-CM, assigns a semantic type of finding, and lists H44.64 as its parent concept. 1

The parent concept H44.64 denotes a retained old magnetic foreign body in the posterior wall of the globe, and H44.643 is a narrower concept that specifies bilateral involvement. 1 4

Clinical context

Retained intraocular foreign bodies can cause chronic eye disease, and iron toxicity from a retained foreign body, called siderosis bulbi, leads to complications including retinal degeneration and loss of visual field. 2

Magnetic resonance imaging is contraindicated in ocular trauma with suspected ferromagnetic foreign bodies due to concern for worsening the injury, while computed tomography is the preferred imaging technique to assess presence. 2

Documentation considerations

The official terminology record assigns the published abbreviation retained old magnetic fb in posterior wall of globe, bi, providing a specific shorthand for this bilateral finding. 1

Coverage and utilization context

A Medicare billing article for posterior segment imaging includes the H44.643 diagnosis code within its guidance, while a separate payer policy document for extended ophthalmoscopy also lists this exact code. 3 6

A Medicare article for head and neck imaging lists code H44.642 for a retained magnetic foreign body in the right eye, distinguishing this laterality from the bilateral H44.643 code. 5 1

What the sources add

Terminology sources provide the official code hierarchy and active status, clinical text outlines imaging risks and complications, and payer articles place the code within billing guidance without guaranteeing coverage. 1 2 3

Sources

1. ICD-10-CM H44.643 terminology record — National Cancer Institute Enterprise Vocabulary Services; accessed 2026-07-27.
2. Bookshelf — ncbi.nlm.nih.gov; accessed 2026-07-27.
3. Article - Billing and Coding: Ophthalmology: Posterior Segment Imaging (Extended Ophthalmoscopy and Fundus Photography) (A57071) — cms.gov; accessed 2026-07-27.
4. EVS Explore — evsexplore.semantics.cancer.gov; accessed 2026-07-27.
5. Article - Billing and Coding: MRI and CT Scans of the Head and Neck (A57215) — cms.gov; accessed 2026-07-27.
6. Medicare Advantage Plans — wellcarecomplete.com; accessed 2026-07-27.