Actress Judi Dench talks about her eye disease in an interview with BBC.
Judi Dench, who has had a long career, is one of England’s most loved actresses. EPA/AOP
Actor Judi Dench, 87, tells a BBC interview program that his eyesight has deteriorated so badly that he can no longer read or write. He also has trouble cutting down his food.
Dench tells by Louis Theroux in the interview program that he suffers from age-related macular degeneration, which is a common eye disease associated with old age. It does not blind the eye, but at worst it can weaken the eye’s sharp vision and make it difficult to read and recognize faces.
Age-related degeneration usually starts to appear after the age of 50. Most of the pensioners suffer from age-related degeneration of the eye.
Dench admits to Theroux that she can hardly do anything because of her bad eyesight. He says that he also sees Theroux dimly, even though they are close to each other at the time of the interview. Dench recalls attending a recent dinner event where it was so dark that she had to ask a friend to cut her food ready for her.
Despite her vision problems, Dench would not like to retire from acting. He says he can perform on theater stages as long as there are no things he could trip over.
Learning the lines has proven to be a big challenge for Dench: in the past, thanks to her photographic memory, she was able to remember the lines, but now she has trouble doing it because she can’t read.
– I have to learn a new way of learning, says Dench.
The story continues after the picture.
Judi Dench played M, the head of the MI6 intelligence service, in eight James Bond films. ©Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection, AOP
Giving up driving is a big deal
In 2019, Dench had to give up driving, which she says was one of the most traumatic moments of her life.
– It was absolutely terrifying. But I know I’ll kill someone else if I get behind the wheel now.
Although Dench can no longer read newspapers or books or do crossword puzzles, she says she has learned to adapt to her situation.
– I can see enough. It adapts to it. That’s why I completely ignore it.
Dench has spoken about her vision problems before. In 2014, he said For the Hollywood Reporter, that he was no longer able to paint or watch movies. Even then, his reading ability had already weakened considerably.
Dench’s interview will be shown on BBC 2 next week. The contents of the interview have been covered in the news, among other things Independent and The Sun.
Dench is perhaps best known internationally for her role as M in the James Bond films (1995–2015). In 1998, she also won the best supporting actress Oscar for the film Shakespeare in Love. In England, he has had a decades-long career as a theater actor.