JUDI Dench has revealed a heartbreaking health update and admitted she struggles every day.
The legendary actress, 90, first opened up about her age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in 2012.
Earlier this year, Dame Judi told how she “can’t leave home alone” due to the worrying condition.
And now she has admitted she’s lost her vision completely.
The Oscar-winner, who scooped the accolade for her role as supporting actress in Shakespeare in Love, has said: “I can’t see any more.”
She told the crowds at Theatre Royal, Bury St Edmunds, where she is a patron: “When I go to the theatre, I can’t see.
“Hopeless.”
Yet she revealed she had been catching up on the Celebrity Traitors “dirt” – and how pal Celia Imrie was getting on – through word of mouth.
It comes after the star of screen and stage told how it was “impossible” to read scripts.
CONDITION REVEAL
Macular degeneration is the biggest cause of sight loss in the UK, affecting more than 700,000 people.
AMD is an eye disease that can blur an individual’s central vision.
According to the National Eye Institute, age-related macular degeneration “happens when aging causes damage to the macula – the part of the eye that controls sharp, straight-ahead vision.”
The disease does not cause total blindness, but it can make everyday activities difficult.
LIFE-CHANGING
Judi has been candid in addressing her worsening health battle.
During an interview on Trinny Woodall’s Fearless podcast, Dame Judi says “somebody will always be with me” when she leaves the house.
She continued: “I have to [have someone] now because I can’t see.
What is age-related macular degeneration (AMD)?
DAME Judi Dench has spoken openly about her diagnosis of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Yet what is it?
Macular degeneration is the biggest cause of sight loss in the UK, affecting more than 700,000 people.
It first affects people in their 50s.
AMD is an eye disease that can blur an individual’s central vision.
According to the National Eye Institute, age-related macular degeneration “happens when aging causes damage to the macula – the part of the eye that controls sharp, straight-ahead vision.”
The disease does not cause total blindness, but it can make everyday activities difficult.
Recently, we reported on research which suggested a person’s choice of morning brew could impact their eyesight.
In a study of more than 500,000 people, scientists from the Hubei University of Medicine in China found a link between instant coffee intake and the risk of dry AMD – one of the forms of the sight-robbing disease.
In contrast, ground coffee and decaffeinated brews bore no links to AMD.
“And I will walk into something or fall over.
“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.”
The Oscar winner, famed for playing M on nine James Bond movies, added she was “no good at that at all” when she used to attend events alone.
SCREEN QUEEN
Dame Judi made her professional debut in 1957 with the Old Vic Company and is now referred to as one of Britain’s best actresses.
After landing roles on TV and in movies from the late 50s, she has starred in a plethora of big titles, with IMDB crediting her for 120 on-screen productions.
Some of her notable roles include Chocolat, Notes on a Scandal, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Philomena and Iris and also her role as “M” in several James Bond films.
She’s a ten-time Bafta winner including winning Best Actress in A Fine Romance (1981) in which she appeared with her late husband, Michael Williams.
Judi has also been nominated for six Oscars and won one of these as Best Supporting Actress for Shakespeare in Love in 1998.
She has also won seven Laurence Olivier Awards and has a further eight nominations under her belt for her professional theatre work.
She was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1970, and a Dame of Order of the British Empire in 1988.