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Judi Dench Says Untreatable Wet AMD Has Taken Her Sight, Upending Daily Life

Her memory for Shakespeare endures, with a Channel 4 documentary now highlighting her lifelong ties.

Overview

  • Dench confirms both eyes have progressed to the wet stage of age‑related macular degeneration and are beyond treatment, calling the deterioration “a crusher.”
  • She describes faces as “in a fog” and says she has given up driving, reading and watching television, relying on assistants and no longer going out alone.
  • The vision loss has effectively ended her ability to work on sets; she has said she cannot see on a film set and depends on others to read scripts aloud.
  • Despite short‑term memory lapses, she says she can still recite reams of Shakespeare and is fronting a Channel 4 film exploring her Shakespeare connections.
  • She says she remains in touch with Kevin Spacey, whom she described as “exonerated,” and reflected on Harvey Weinstein with a personal stance of forgiveness.