Overview
- Judi Dench told BBC Radio 4’s Today that her age-related macular degeneration has advanced so far that she can no longer stand on stage, perform in films, or read.
- Dench has lived with macular degeneration since 2012, a progressive disease that destroys central vision and makes tasks like reading and recognising faces increasingly impossible.
- She described everyday effects, saying she sometimes fails to see flowers she once loved and that she now risks approaching the wrong people because she cannot always recognise faces.
- Friends and colleagues previously helped her learn lines and adapt on set, but Dench said those measures are no longer enough and she has adjusted her daily life while keeping a wry attitude.
- The confirmation closes a chapter on a more than seven-decade career for one of Britain’s best-known actors and highlights how central-vision loss can end practical participation in stage and screen work.