Dame Judi Dench shares emotional update on deteriorating eyesight

Beloved English actress Dame Judi Dench has given a bittersweet update on her life with age-related macular degeneration, showing that she can no longer recognise people and has significantly cut back on her on-camera appearances.

Actress Judi Dench opens up on her vision issues

The 90-year-old screen legend explained in a recent interview that she was diagnosed with the degenerative eye condition back in 2012 and now her vision has reached such a point that she "can't see anymore."

"I can't recognise anybody now.. I can't see the television. I can't see to read," the actress explained.

Appearing alongside her former Macbeth co-star Sir Ian McKellen, Judi said she could only make out his "outline" and knew who he was because she knows him "so well". Ian McKellen lightened the mood by asking if she ever approaches strangers saying "lovely to see you again," to which she responded with a laugh, "Sometimes."

Age-related macular degeneration is the leading cause of vision loss in older adults, causing central vision to become blurry. The National Eye Institute asserts that though AMD seldom causes complete blindness, with lost central vision, a person may have difficulty seeing faces, reading and driving. Judi Dench had already stopped driving in 2023 due to the condition.

The deteriorating eyesight has posed quite a challenge to her illustrious acting career. This Skyfall star said in a 2023 interview, "I can't see on a film set any more," and also admitted she "can't see to read" scripts.

With a photographic memory, Judi Dench has had to find new ways of learning her lines. She once said that what she really wants is a machine that teaches her the lines but also indicates where they fall on the page. Until then, she says, "great friends of mine repeat them to me over and over and over again."

Difficult as that may be, the national treasure resolutely approaches her condition with her customary humour, "You know you just deal with it. Get on."

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