William D. Smith, III, OD is the Director of Low Vision / Vision Rehabilitation Services at UPMC. Dr. Smith also services as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. To advocate for the low vision population, he has established tight network in northeastern US.
Dr. Smith received his Doctor of Optometry from the Pennsylvania College of Optometry and is residency trained in the William Feinbloom Center for Low Vision Rehabilitation. Dr. Smith is the recipient of both Award for Commitment in Excellence and Services and Excellence in Patient Experience Award in 2019 at UPMC. He is not only an outstanding optometrist in the northeastern US, but also a leader in academic teaching and research. Collaborating with the Human Factor Laboratory at the University of Pittsburgh, Smith had been a primary investigator of a study assessing the functional impact of the Iris Vision, a digital head – bourne magnification system, in patients with moderate to profound central vision loss. Currently, Smith is the co-investigator in two research studies involving vision restoration technologies to improve visual performance/functional vision in patients with end-stage age-related macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa, where they are conducted in the UPMC Eye Center.
Dr. Smith, with his clinical expertise in low vision and vision rehabilitation and extended leadership in UPMC and University of Pittsburgh, will be part of a multi-disciplinary team to provide clinical services, evaluations, and consultations for low vision, refractions, and optical devices. Smith will also assist to interpret outcomes from various research studies to facilitate future patient care in low vision and vision rehabilitation, as well as to refine the recruitment criteria of low vision-related research studies.
Roles and Expertise:
- Low Vision
- Vision Rehabilitation
- Research
- Optical Devices