For years, William Graves lived with diabetes and its many complications. One of the most devastating was the damage it caused to his vision. “They diagnosed me with diabetes a long time ago,” William says. “But I didn’t take it too seriously at the time. I just lived my life.”
That decision caught up with him. More than 15 years later, William developed proliferative diabetic retinopathy, a severe form of eye disease caused by diabetes, and then neovascular glaucoma in his right eye. The result was excruciating pain and the gradual loss of sight in that eye.
“It was brutal,” William recalls. “The pain was constant. It felt like drilling in my head—so bad I couldn’t lay my head on a pillow. I couldn’t be in the light at all. I’d just sit in a dark room, not eating, not doing anything.”
William’s condition affected every part of his life. Once a tow truck driver, he was now unable to work or enjoy his hobbies. “I used to love playing video games,” he says. “Even that became impossible.”
Finding hope
After trying multiple doctors and treatments that provided no relief, William’s mother, a Tufts Medicine patient, encouraged him to seek care in Boston. “She said, ‘You’re not going through this anymore. You’re going to Tufts Medical Center,’” William recalls.
That decision changed everything. In September 2024, William met Reza Vagefi, MD, Chair of Ophthalmology at Tufts Medical Center and a specialist in oculoplastic surgery.
“When I met him, I was in unbearable pain,” William says. “But the moment I talked to him, I liked his whole demeanor. He cared. He told me he could help, and I believed him.”
Dr. Vagefi diagnosed William with a blind painful eye—a condition in which the eye is irreversibly blind and chronically painful, often due to glaucoma, infection, trauma or other severe disease. “By the time I saw William, he had been living with severe eye pain that kept him from daily activities and even from sleeping,” Dr. Vagefi explains. “Surgery was the only way to relieve his pain and restore his quality of life.”
In mid-September, Dr. Vagefi performed surgery to remove his right eye. For William, the relief was immediate and profound.
“After the surgery, it was like night and day,” he says. “No pain, no light sensitivity—it was beautiful. I went from being miserable to feeling like myself again.”
At his post-operative visits, William couldn’t hold back his gratitude. “He hugged me,” Dr. Vagefi says. “That first hug was priceless.”
Recovery and renewal
William’s recovery was swift. “The healing was perfect,” he says. “Fastest recovery I’ve ever had. It was like Dr. Vagefi had the hands of God.”
Now pain-free, he’s preparing for the next step—being fitted with a custom acrylic eye prosthesis made by an ocularist. “I’m already planning some custom ones—a bull’s-eye and a dollar sign,” he says with a grin. “If I’ve got to wear it, I’m going to enjoy it.”
His sense of humor and optimism have returned, along with his social life. “All my other doctors say, ‘You’re like your old self again,’” he laughs. “I’m back to joking and laughing—being me again.”
A message for others
For anyone living with pain or eye disease, William says, “If you’re suffering like I was, get the surgery. Don’t go through the pain. Don’t wait another day.”
He also wants people to know what made his experience at Tufts Medical Center so different. “The care here is the best,” he says. “They actually care about you. It’s not an assembly line. They take their time, explain everything and truly want you to get better. I tell everyone: go to Tufts Medicine. They’re top tier, and you can’t beat that.”
For Dr. Vagefi, William’s journey is a reminder of why he chose this field. “Being able to relieve that kind of suffering is one of the most rewarding parts of my profession,” he says. “William’s story is exactly why we do what we do.”
Today, William is back to living his life with no pain, renewed confidence and gratitude for the team that helped him get there. “They gave me my life back.”
