The recent Appeal Decision in the case of Michael Warren v. Altec, Inc. and Sentinel Insurance Company is an example of how post-concussion injury cases are handled in Iowa workers’ compensation.
The claimant was injured on March 22, 2017 when a J-hook he was using came unhooked from a tank he was pulling, and the claimant fell back and struck his head and was knocked unconscious. The claimant’s initial symptoms were a mild headache, dizziness and nausea. The local physician recommended waiting on a neurology referral to see if claimant’s symptoms would clear up on their own.
Unfortunately, the claimant’s symptoms did not clear up and he was referred to see Beth Triebel, O.D. at Vision Park in Des Moines. Dr. Triebel’s diagnosis was bilateral myopia, presbyopia, vertical heterophoria, and post-concussion syndrome. Dr. Triebel changed the prescription of the Claimant’s glasses. Dr. Triebel also ordered vision therapy which ran from October 19, 2017 through July 24, 2018.