Herb Smith, OD
OptometristDr. Smith is a Navy veteran, lifelong teacher, and Wilmington Eye's most experienced optometrist with nearly 50 years of practice.
A lifetime of service in vision care — and still having fun every day
With nearly five decades of experience in optometry, Dr. Smith has been caring for patients since 1977. Herb Smith, OD is passionate about primary eye care and the opportunity it gives him to make a meaningful difference in people’s lives. His clinical interests include anterior segment disease, and he is deeply committed to finding the best course of treatment for every patient he encounters. After nearly 50 years, Dr. Smith still has fun every day he goes to work — and it shows in the way he treats his patients.
Dr. Smith is a proud Navy veteran whose career has taken him across North Carolina, from working in eye clinics to operating his own successful practice. His dedication to the field earned him the John D. Costabile Distinguished Service Award from the North Carolina Optometric Society in 2014, and he has also served as a legislative chair advocating for the profession. He joined Wilmington Eye in 2025, continuing a long tradition of personalized care.
I offer many years of experience as an optometrist while working with the finest eye surgeons in the region. The promise I make to you as my patient is to give you the very best eye care and if needed, the very best surgical care, should that be the right solution to your problems. The last promise I will make to you is that I will give you this care and we will have fun doing it!
Outside the office, Dr. Smith enjoys golf, cycling, and reading — especially fiction, history, and science. He also considers himself a lifelong teacher, a devoted husband, father, and grandfather.
Professional Associations
- American Optometric Association
- North Carolina Optometric Society
- Southern Council of Optometrists