Dr. Rachael Henrie grew up in Honolulu, Hawaii, and received her Bachelor’s degree in Biology from the University of Hawaii, Manoa. She earned her Doctor of Optometry from the University of California at Berkeley, where she graduated with multiple honors, including the Beta Sigma Kappa Silver Medal for highest grade point average. Dr. Henrie went on to complete advanced residency training in medical and geriatric eye care through the VA Hospital Puget Sound Health Care System in Tacoma, WA prior to entering clinical practice. After a few years in private practice, she developed clinical expertise in medical eyecare through working as a consulting optometric physician at Northwest Eye Surgeons, an eye surgery co-management center here in the Puget Sound, where she provided post-operative and medical eye care from 2008 to 2012. Out of a desire for improved work-life balance, Dr. Henrie was thrilled to join Roosevelt Vision in 2012 and has been a proud owner in the practice since 2016.

Dr. Henrie sees patients ages 5 and up, with a special interest in caring for patients with more complex medical eye care needs as well as primary vision care services.  Her clinical interests include glaucoma, dry eye and ocular surface disorders, non-contact lens prevention strategies for myopia in children, and preventative eye care. She is warm, caring, and insightful and relies on her attention to detail, clinical acumen, and excellent communication skills to put patients of all ages at ease. She strives to think outside the box to come up with unique solutions to help serve her patients.

Dr. Henrie is active in her profession, with memberships in the American Optometric Association, Optometric Physicians of Washington, and the King County Optometric Society. She has held several leadership positions and became a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry in 2010.  She enjoys serving the local community and has lectured on a variety of eye-related topics to local audiences. She has also gone on two volunteer eye care missions to Mexico in which she helped perform thousands of free eye examinations and distribute glasses.  

Dr. Henrie lives in Seattle with her husband, two children, and an elderly pup Mochi.  When she is not in the clinic, she enjoys spending time with family, outdoor exploration and camping, reading, slinging kettlebells, and (when time permits) crafting other creative endeavors.
 

WHAT MADE YOU WANT TO BECOME AN OPTOMETRIST?

Science was my favorite subject in school as a child and I had always aspired to be a doctor when I grew up. Though I recall being fascinated with the structure and functioning of the eye and retina when I first learned about it in elementary school, it was not until I was in my pre-med studies in college and started volunteering in various medical fields that I started thinking about optometry as a good fit. I volunteered with a female optometrist who owned her own practice and seemed to enjoy a healthy work-life balance which was attractive to me because I knew I also wanted kids someday. I started off in private practice and later transitioned to a busy surgical and ophthalmology clinic where I learned so much but did not have a great work-life balance. By the time I joined Roosevelt Vision in 2012, I was a mom of two small children so having the opportunity to see patients 3 days per week and still have quality time with my family was like a dream come true!

WHAT DO YOU MOST LOVE ABOUT YOUR OCCUPATION?

I love having the opportunity to meet and learn from patients of all ages and backgrounds who I would not otherwise meet in my personal life. People are just so interesting, and it brings me joy to try to figure out visual solutions for everyone I meet and help them reach their maximal visual potential. I learn so much from my patients every day!
 

WHO INSPIRED YOU OR DID YOU LOOK UP TO?

From the very beginning of optometry school at UC Berkeley, I looked up to and found inspiration from our first- and second-year clinic instructor duo Dr. John Corzine and Dr. Robert Greer. They shared their deep love of education and learning and helped their students learn both the art and science of optometry in such a fun way. They are both legends at Berkeley, wonderful optometrists, and human beings, and I feel grateful to have been trained by them.
 

WHAT IS SOMETHING MOST PATIENTS DO NOT KNOW ABOUT YOU?

I have better than 20/20 vision without glasses! Most people find it strange to have an optometrist with perfect vision. I believe that having a good vision has helped me learn how to ask questions and dig deeper to really understand the problems my patients have and try to find out of the box and unique ways to help them see their best. I always wanted glasses and now that I am in my 40s, I finally get my wish to have glasses for the computer and reading.
 

WHERE WAS YOUR FAVORITE VACATION TO?

One of the most memorable vacations I have ever taken was a 6-day River trip down the San Juan River with my family, siblings, parents, and childhood friends. We had a group of 20+ people ranging in ages from 6 to 65 and over the course of 6 days we traveled nearly 75 miles downriver on rafts in the most glorious red rock canyons. Being literally immersed in nature and seeing evidence of ancient civilizations was exhilarating. We worked hard setting up and breaking down camp every day and experienced some extreme weather conditions, but it was SO much fun and in the end, we had such an amazing sense of wonder and accomplishment.
 

WHAT IS ONE ITEM YOU COULD NOT LIVE WITHOUT?

Coffee. I love it. I require at least one cup every day. There is nothing better than a lazy morning curled up on the couch with a fresh cup of coffee and a good book!