Judi Dench reveals she can’t go out on her own amid vision loss: ‘I can’t see’

Dame Judi Dench has provided a heart-breaking update on her health and vision. 

The Belfast star, 90, appeared on an episode of the Fearless podcast alongside host Trinny Woodall, where they discussed Dench’s eye disease and subsequent vision loss. 

“Somebody will always be with me,” the actor confessed. “I have to now because I can’t see, and I will walk into something or fall over.” 

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Dame Judy Dench in the parade ring during the Winter Derby Day at Lingfield Racecourse.
Dame Judy Dench admitted she can’t go out alone anymore as: “I will walk into something or fall over.” (PA Images via Getty Images)

“I’m always nervous before going to something. I have no idea why… I’m not good at being on my own at all, nor would I be now. And fortunately, I don’t have to now because I pretend to have no eyesight,” she laughed.

According to the Macular Disease Foundation Australia, age-related macular degeneration, commonly shortened to AMD, is a chronic and painless disease of the macula, an area at the very centre of the retina, at the back of the eye. 

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The illness causes “progressive loss of central vision” but leaves one’s peripheral vision intact.

“This loss of central vision affects the ability to read, watch TV, and recognise faces. But, by itself, AMD doesn’t lead to total vision loss,” the foundation explains.

LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 20: Dame Judi Dench attends The RHS Chelsea Flower Show at Royal Hospital Chelsea on May 20, 2024 in London, England. All the main garden categories return to the Royal Hospital Chelsea this year.  The Show Gardens along Main Avenue, Sanctuary and Feature Gardens explore themes through horticulture, while the All About Plants area in the Floral Marquee focuses on planting. This year is billed as the most sustainable to date. (Photo by Jeff Spicer/Getty Images)
Dench first revealed her diagnosis in 2012. (Getty)

The Academy Award winner first opened up about her diagnosis in 2012, later revealing she was increasingly struggling to read scripts and learn her lines.

“It has become impossible,” Dench said on The Graham Norton Show in 2023 of being able to read scripts.

“And because I have a photographic memory, I need to find a machine that not only teaches me my lines but also tells me where they appear on the page.”

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The Philomena actress added: “I used to find it very easy to learn lines and remember them. I could do the whole of Twelfth Night right now.”

Dench says she’d rely on memorising scripts; however, without being able to physically see them, it’s become an extremely challenging process.

In 2022, Dench explained that her AMD was in its advanced stages, leaving her unable to read or write.

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Dame Judi Dench’s life and career in pictures

Judi Dench
Dench says she has a photographic memory which she can lean on. (Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images fo)

“I’ve got to teach myself a new way of learning. I have a photographic memory, so a person saying to me, ‘This is your line’… I can do that. And I have many people who can help me,” she told Louis Thereoux in an episode of his BBC 2 show.

Dench’s most recent film was Spirited in 2022.

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Hello, I’m Khan Saab, the author behind many of the articles on usacouples.com. I graduated with a degree in Computer Science from the University of Punjab in Pakistan. Writing has always been a passion of mine, and through this platform, I get to share my thoughts and ideas on topics that matter to me and, hopefully, to you as well. I’m excited to connect with readers like you and share insights that can make a difference in your life. Thanks for being part of this journey with me,

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