Judi Dench has shared a deeply personal update about her degenerative eye condition. The Oscar-winning star revealed that no one can recognize me anymore, describing the emotional toll of her severe vision loss.
On November 25, Dench spoke with ITV News, saying she has nearly lost her sight due to macular degeneration, a condition she was first diagnosed with in 2012. Macular degeneration, which often affects people over 50, causes central vision to blur or disappear. In Dench’s case, the condition has worsened rapidly. “I can’t see anything anymore,” she said. “I can’t watch TV or read books.”
Earlier this year, she also shared that “she cannot go out alone” due to the risk of falling or bumping into objects, and always requires someone to accompany her.
Her vision loss has had a major impact on her acting career. In February 2023, Dench revealed that she could no longer read scripts, making memorizing lines extremely difficult. “I used to have the ability to remember lines like a photograph,” she explained. “Now I might need to find a device that not only teaches me my lines but also shows me where they appear on the page.”
Despite these challenges, Dench is determined to keep performing. At a charity event for vision loss, she expressed her perseverance: “It’s incredibly difficult, but I must find a way to keep going.” She currently relies on close friends to repeatedly recite her lines to her. “I have to learn through repetition now,” she said. “I just hope that if I do forget a line, it won’t be too noticeable.” Her comments highlight her enduring dedication to her craft and remarkable resilience.
Dame Judi Dench is a living legend in British theater and cinema, holding the esteemed title of Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire. She has won 10 BAFTA Awards and two Golden Globes. Her Shakespearean stage work earned her an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Shakespeare in Love. American audiences also know her as the formidable M in the James Bond films, from GoldenEye (1995) through Skyfall (2012), where she commanded the screen with charisma and authority.
