Glaucoma secondary to drugs, left eye, stage unspecified

This code signifies elevated intraocular pressure and optic nerve damage in the left eye, directly resulting from the use of a pharmaceutical agent. The specific stage of glaucoma progression is not documented or determined. This condition is an adverse effect of a prescribed or illicit drug.

Use this code when documentation clearly states glaucoma in the left eye is secondary to drug use, and the stage of glaucoma is not specified. This typically occurs when a patient presents with new-onset or worsening glaucoma symptoms attributed to medication, and the ophthalmologist has not yet determined the specific stage (e.g., mild, moderate, severe). Supporting documentation includes physician notes detailing drug causality and left eye involvement.

• Always sequence an external cause code (T36-T50 with a 5th or 6th character of 5 or 6) to identify the drug causing the adverse effect.
• Do not use this code if the glaucoma stage (e.g., mild, moderate, severe) is documented; instead, select the appropriate stage-specific code.
• Ensure documentation explicitly links the glaucoma to drug use; otherwise, consider other secondary glaucoma codes.