Yahoo Lifestyle Judi Dench, 90, Reveals a Silver Lining to Her Worsening Health Condition
Judi Dench is opening up about how her ongoing vision loss affects her day-to-day life, all while approaching the situation with her signature dry humor.
The acclaimed actress, 90, has spoken candidly about her health in the past, sharing that macular degeneration affects her ability to read words on a page, which presents a problem for someone learning lines from a script.
However, she’s also been clear that “it's something that I have learnt to cope with and adapt to,” telling Reuters that “it will not lead to blindness.”
In a recent interview with the Fearless podcast, the James Bond star spoke with host Trinny Woodall about an unexpected silver lining to her worsening eyesight, bringing some levity to the conversation.
She shared that she doesn’t like to be on her own, but instead likes “quiet with other people,” and is “not good” at being alone “at all.”
As a result of her vision problems, she has to rely on others to help her get around, including at work events like red carpet appearances—a plus for someone who doesn’t like to do things solo.
“I have to now because I can’t see, and I walk into something or fall over,” she said with a laugh, teasing that she has “no eyesight.”
“You can sort of always have a lovely arm to hold onto,” said Woodall. “Well, you know, you might trip up,” Dench joked, smothering a giggle as Woodall teased her that it could happen “on a flat bit of grass.”
“It’s really easy to trip,” Dench quipped.
According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, macular degeneration, an age-related vision loss, is caused by a problem with the retina. For Dench, the condition doesn’t allow her to see things in front of her clearly, but her peripheral vision has remained intact.
Dench, who was first diagnosed in 2012, credits her memory with being able to continue working despite the challenges caused by her eyesight.
“I used to find it very easy to learn lines and remember them. I could do the whole of Twelfth Night right now,” she shared on a 2023 episode of The Graham Norton Show. Because of her photographic memory, she said she needs “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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