'Optician spotted something in my eye - one thing saved my life'

Raj Parmar was aged just 2208:20, 01 Sep 2026A fit and healthy man's life was upended when an optician spotted a problem during a routine eye test.‌Raj Parmar, who was diagnosed with a rare bone marrow cancer aged 22, said that having a stem cell transplant “absolutely saved my life” and urged more people – particularly those from minority ethnic backgrounds – to join the stem cell register. Raj, now 33 and living in Leicester, was diagnosed with myelofibrosis in October 2015 after an optometrist noticed blood in his eyes during a routine eye test.‌Despite feeling otherwise fit and well, a bone marrow biopsy led to the diagnosis of the rare cancer, which affects the bone marrow and is more common in people over the age of 60, according to Macmillan. While Raj’s disease progressed relativel