Dr. Jonathan SMITH

By Meghan Ochs

By all standards Dr. Jonathan Smith is a community man, and by the even tougher standards dictated by Nevadans, he is also a true native Nevadan. Raised in Las Vegas, a graduate of UNR, and a regular visitor to Tahoe starting in the 70’s, Jonathan moved to Incline in 1993. In the thirty years since, he has lived a multi-faceted life as a doctor, father, business man, volunteer, coach and recreational sport enthusiast.

After graduating Optometry School from the Southern California College of Optometry in Fullerton, albeit his one non Nevada credential, he practiced in Las Vegas for a few years prior to moving to Incline. Upon that move to the northern part of his home state, Dr. Smith purchased an existing optometric practice in Incline and he has continued as a solo optometrist in that same location ever since. Jonathans practice employs two full time office staff, one of whom has been with him since he started in Incline, and the other is the daughter of his long time staffer who recently joined the practice. You can find Dr. Smith and his small, personal staff of two, at their office on Northwood Blvd.

If eyes are the key to the soul then Jonathan has seen a lot of souls considering the number of patients he has seen over the years. His career has gratefully introduced him to hundreds of interesting people and the building of a lot of valuable relationships. Dr. Smith explained, “Eyeballs are pretty cool but so is the community aspect of this town and all of the wonderful people I’ve met.”

Outside of his practice Jonathan has also had the chance to meet people too. His community involvement has almost always been as busy as his practice. He spent years as a youth sports coach in soccer, little league, and youth basketball. He is an active member of St. Francis of Assisi Church, and is also a former board member of The Incline Village Hospital Foundation. Jonathan is also a thirty year member of The Rotary Club of Incline. In his free time he loves to golf and considers himself a casual skier, blue bird days are his favorite.

Dr. Smith suspects his busiest days as both a community man and Nevadan are behind him. Lately he has his eyes on retirement in the foreseeable future. Jonathan is hoping to start traveling a lot more and spend more time with his wife and his adult boys, both of whom have chosen their own career paths outside of optometry. He is still working five days a week, with some days being half days with patients. On Fridays he often takes half days with patients to complete office work or start the weekend early. He may dilate a lot of eyes but he is also keen on dialing back his life and stress. “Being an optometrist has many elements of a medical practice but with a lot less stress,” said Dr. Smith. This statement seems apt given Jonathan’s quiet, low key and humble personality. It certainly seems fitting for his recent life too as he slows down and gears up for a different life style. No matter when retirement and a new stage of life find him, Dr. Jonathan Smith will always be a man who loves his community, his state and be thankful for how much both have given him.