Judi Dench can no longer leave the house alone due to eyesight condition
British actor Judi Dench has discussed her worsening eye condition, revealing she’s no longer capable of leaving the house alone due to her vision.
Earlier this year, Dench hinted that she had retired from acting due to problems with her eyesight. At the Chelsea Flower Show, the acting legend was asked about her future projects, to which she bluntly replied, “No, no, I can’t even see!”
In 2012, Dench revealed she had been diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which affects more than 700,000 people in the United Kingdom alone, and is the most significant cause of sight loss.
During a new appearance on Trinny Woodall’s Fearless podcast, Dench said of attending red carpet events with AMD: “Somebody will always be with me. I have to now because I can’t see and I will walk into something or fall over.”
She added: “I’m always nervous before going to something. I have no idea why. I’m not good at that at all. Not at all. Nor would I be now. And fortunately, I don’t have to be now because I pretend to have no eyesight.”
In 2023, while speaking to The Mirror, Dench admitted that she “can’t see on a film set any more” and “I can’t see to read”. However, Dench maintained that she’s continuing to attempt to work around the issue caused by her eyesight’s deterioration, “But you just deal with it”.
She explained: “It’s difficult if I have any length of a part. I haven’t yet found a way. Because I have so many friends who will teach me the script. But I have a photographic memory.”
Regarding her decision to keep working in whatever capacity, she said: “I have an irrational fear of boredom. That’s why I now have this tattoo that says carpe diem. That’s what we should live by.”
Dench appeared in two movies in 2022 but has not returned to acting in the last three years. However, despite her eye condition, the actor has remained in the public eye.
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