Here at Optometric Physicians Northwest we care a lot about your eyes. We go the extra mile; not only will we test your refractive needs (need for glasses), and your eye health (the dilation aspect of the exam), both very critical, but also your visual function, or rather how you function with day to day visual tasks. While seeing clearly is critical, it isn't the whole picture and is not predictive of the quality of your vision in all situations. Visual Function is not something that is routinely evaluated at a full exam, but it sure is here!
Dry eye is commonly overlooked and yet it is often the largest hidden culprit inhibiting your visual function! It takes special attention to diagnose dry eye. Dry eye can be treated very successfully and we pay special attention at each and every exam to assess your tear film and function to best assess your visual performance . One recent study linked headaches and migraines as commonly having a dry eye trigger.**
** http://www.healthline.com/health/can-dry-eyes-cause-headaches#overview1