Born and raised in Kent County, Dr. William F. Varr, III attended Moses Brown School and earned his B.A. from Columbia University in 1979. From Columbia, Dr. Varr moved to New York Medical College, graduating in 1984 with his M.D. Dr. Varr completed his residency in Ophthalmology at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center four years later and then joined the U.S. Army as a Flight Surgeon.

Dr. Varr proudly served at Fort Rucker, AL until 1992. During his tenure as a Flight Surgeon, Dr. Varr was first in his class, a Distinguished Honor Graduate, an advisor for aviation ophthalmology to the Surgeon General of the U.S. Army, and a clinical instructor at the U.S. Flight Surgeon School. Major Varr implemented the contact lens program in the early 1990s during Desert Storm, an effort for which he received a Meritorious Service Medal.

After his service was complete, Dr. Varr returned home to Rhode Island and began a private practice in July of 1992. He joined Kent Ophthalmology in 1999 alongside Reid S. Appelby, Jr. Dr. Varr took over the practice when Dr. Appelby retired in March 2004.

After construction of the new facility in June 2007, Kent Ophthalmology officially relocated to the current location at 220 Toll Gate Road in Warwick, RI.

In addition to decorated military service, Dr. Varr has also served as: