Dr. Thomas Funk’s interest in eye care dates back to when he was little boy, sitting in his eye doctor’s office and soaking in its “aura of professionalism and mystery.”
“I admired my childhood eye doctor and was curious about the instruments in his office,” he said. “I received my first pair of glasses in second grade, so vision correction was a big part of my life from the beginning.”
Dr. Funk went on to earn his Doctor of Optometry from Indiana University in 1983, and he joined the Indiana Eye Clinic in 1987.
Since then, Dr. Funk has never grown tired of examining eyes. He gets “tremendous satisfaction from helping people with a sense that is so valuable.” He’s particularly interested in dry eye, which fills him with the same sense of childlike curiosity that sparked his passion for eye care.
“I love unlocking the mystery of why and what type of dry eye a patient has,” Dr. Funk said. “Dry eye treatment takes more thought and time than one might expect, as there are many causes. When one determines those, the best treatments flow logically. All of this results in improving comfort and vision for my patients, which is a win for everyone.”
Dr. Funk has seen dry eye success stories across the world. Between 2000 and 2007, he took several optometric mission trips to a rural community in El Salvador, where he provided eye care and assisted local doctors in their community health efforts.
“Treating dry eye was more challenging there, mainly due to greater sun exposure, the often-dusty environment and the lack of treatment options,” Dr. Funk said. “But the gratitude of our patients was inspiring.”
As he does at IEC, Dr. Funk enjoyed getting to know the patients and getting a peek inside their world.
“It was quite an education to witness the strong sense of community in the two small towns we worked in,” he said. “After one long day of working in the town of Portillo, the locals organized a dance on a large patio that overlooked the mountains and the countryside in the distance. Everyone was dancing — young and old, Salvadorans and North Americans — and really celebrating. It was quite a sight to see.”