At 88, Judi Dench Reveals Acting 'Has Become Impossible' Due To Failing Eyesight

Mar 09, 2023 by apost team

Award-winning actress Judi Dench is highly revered for her work on the screen and the stage, but she admitted to struggling with acting after she developed a degenerative eye condition.

Dench, 88, has been dealing with macular degeneration for over a decade, and it's challenging her ability to read scripts. While her failing eyesight has been progressing, she's not yet ready to retire. 

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) may cause severe vision loss for adults above 50 years old, according to the American Optometric Association. In the U.S., about 1.8 million people deal with AMD, while an estimated 7.3 million may be at risk of developing the condition. 

Some of the symptoms of AMD include the gradual loss of clear vision or the distortion of the appearance of objects. Dench, however, made it clear in a 2021 statement that AMD does not lead to complete blindness though she had to find ways to deal with her worsening eyesight and adapt to the challenges. She also had to make a conscious choice to quit driving so she won’t be a danger on the road.

In an interview with The Guardian in 2021, Dench said that she's still able to learn her lines by having her friends read and repeat the scripts over and over to her. She also revealed that her mother had a similar condition, so her daughter and fellow actress, Finty Williams, has been getting her eyes checked regularly. 

According to the National Institutes of Health, AMD may be genetic, especially for Asian or European descent. However, other factors that can lead to the condition include diet, age, and the risk of smoking. 

In an interview on "The Graham Norton Show" on Feb. 17, 2023, Dench said that learning lines as an actress used to be easy for her. She just reads what's on the script and then remembers everything. Now, things are different. 

"It has become impossible," Dench said. "Because I have a photographic memory, I need to find a machine that not only teaches me my lines but also tells me where they appear on the page." 

In 2022, the actress said that she fell and tripped on the carpet at her home and was on the floor for over 30 minutes. She had no one in the house with her except for her pet parrot, Sweetheart, that only kept asking what she was doing.

"This is when you need a very convenient parrot who would phone somebody – but she didn't," the actress said. “After half an hour, I just got up.”

Dench said living independently at her age and condition can be "very, very difficult," but she told Vogue in 2020 that it feels "terrible to be so dependent on people." She also doesn't like aging, especially when it's preventing her from doing stuff that she used to do, like reading books, driving, doing crossword puzzles, needlework, or writing handwritten letters.

The actress bans the mention of "retirement" in her house as she finds this pretty depressing. Dench is determined to keep on acting, as well as finding new things to learn and discover every day. In March 2023, her latest screenplay, "Allelujah," made its debut in theaters.

apost.com

What can you say about Judi Dench's attitude toward aging and her degenerative eye condition? Do you know someone struggling with a similar issue? They might be able to relate to this story, so pass this along!