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The renowned British actress has adapted to her circumstances by having friends recite her lines, which she then memorizes effortlessly thanks to her photographic memory.
WASHINGTON — Dame Judi Dench has shared the growing difficulties she faces due to age-related macular degeneration, a condition that has significantly impaired her vision. This has left her unable to read, watch TV, or even recognize familiar faces.
In a candid conversation with ITV, the 90-year-old actress, who has won an Oscar, revealed that her declining eyesight has made on-screen performances increasingly challenging.
“I can’t see anymore,” Dench confessed. “I can’t recognize anybody now. … I can’t see the television. I can’t see to read.”
During the interview, Dench sat beside her long-time friend and former “Macbeth” co-star, Ian McKellen. She mentioned that she could “see your outline,” identifying him only because “I know you so well.”
The “Skyfall” star first disclosed her diagnosis in 2012, later telling The Mirror in 2023 that the progression of the disease had forced her to stop driving.
“I can’t see on a film set anymore,” she said. “And I can’t see to read. So I can’t see much. But you know you just deal with it. Get on.”
She added that learning lengthy parts has become increasingly difficult. The only way she can continue, she said, is with her photographic memory.
“(I) had to find another way of learning lines and things, which is having great friends of mine repeat them to me over and over and over again,” Dench said.
Age-related macular degeneration, or AMD, gradually blurs vision and is a leading cause of vision loss among older adults, according to the National Eye Institute.
Dench has spoken before about struggling to memorize lines as her vision declines. During a past appearance on The Graham Norton Show, she said the disease had made the process “impossible,” adding that she hopes to find “a machine that not only teaches me my lines but also tells me where they appear on the page.”
Despite the challenges, Dench has continued to work in recent years and has remained candid about adapting to life with AMD, a condition she says she simply must “get on” with, even as it reshapes how she experiences the world.
