Bassetlaw mum drops three dress sizes after doctors warn she could go blind

Vicki Hopkinson, 33, who stands a tiny 5 ft 3 ins, weighed 16.5 stones when she was diagnosed with hypertension.

She had been suffering with headaches and blurred vision for weeks - which doctors told her were caused by migraines.

However in early 2018 a routine eye test at Boots uncovered fluid at the back of her eyes - leading to a later diagnosis of hypertension or high blood pressure.

The condition can cause damage to the retina's blood vessels - putting pressure on the optic nerve.

Full-time mum Vicki did nothing at first - as the headaches and other side-effects worsened over the next 18 months.

However in October worried Vicki completely changed her lifestyle - ditching junk food in favour of fruit, vegetables and low carbohydrate meals and hitting the gym three-four times a week.

She lost a whopping two-and-a-half stones in just three months - slimming down from size 22 to size 16.

She said: “Things are improving now but it was quite scary to be told that you can have a condition like this due to your weight.

“But if you change it you can feel better.

“I don’t go mad in the gym either - just 45 minutes of swimming and cardio.

“But people don’t tend to believe being overweight could affect your vision - so I wanted to make people aware that they should attend routine health checks.

“You just don’t know what they’re going to uncover.

“People might be surprised that you could get a condition at the back of your eyes because of weight gain.”

Vicki says her new healthy lifestyle has encouraged her children - aged 10, 13 and 15 - to take more exercise.

She said: “I now take my daughter swimming with me to encourage her to be more healthy.”

Though Vicki plans to continue her exercise regime to stay more healthy in general her ultimate weight-loss target is to fit into a size 12 dress.