Dame Judi Dench's age-related macular degeneration (AMD) has left her and thousands of others struggling to see.
The actress sat down to discuss her career and lifetime in showbiz with world-renowned documentarian Louis Theroux. The interview was a part of his new series of interviews for the BBC which touched on some of Dame Judi's more personal moments in the spotlight.
The conversation brought up old memories of her late partner Michael Williams but also revealed she has been battling age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
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Dame Judi is not alone in battling AMD as one in 200 people over the age of 60 will contract it. The condition has severely impacted the actress' eyesight but AMD can reveal itself in a number of ways.
What is macular degeneration?
Macular degeneration affects the “middle part” of your vision, prone to affecting people in their 50s and 60s.
Those affected have deterioration of the macula area of the retina, which is a part of the eye that deals with central and colour vision, as well as fine focus.
Symptoms include blurry vision with dark spots, and straight lines that appear wavy or fuzzy, Mirror reported. Over time, sufferers gradually lose more and more of their central vision, making driving, reading and watching TV difficult.
Those unlucky enough to have the “wet” type of AMD can find the loss of vision can come on very suddenly, rapidly deteriorating over just months or even weeks.
Others — thought to be about a tenth of suffers — will have what is known as the “dry” form of the condition. It does not cause total blindness but it can make everyday activities like reading and recognising faces difficult.
The exact cause is unknown but it's been linked to smoking, high blood pressure, being overweight and having a family history of AMD. Medical professionals recommend trying to lose weight, eating greens and oil fish and quitting smoking as a way of defending against it.
Even if your vision seems fine, having a bi-annual eye test – free on the NHS if you are over 60 – is important, as it can detect early changes in sight.
How is the condition affecting Judi Dench?
Dame Judi said AMD is making it difficult to read scripts and even cut up her own food. The star has opened up about having advanced macular degeneration, which has left her not being able to read or write.
She has one eye "wet" and the other "dry" with AMD. The 87-year-old told Louis Theroux about her condition during an interview broadcast on BBC2.
Dami Judi said it has impacted her career, forcing her to discover new ways of learning lines as her eye-sight has begun to deteriorate. She said: "I don’t want to retire. I’m not doing anything much at the moment because I can’t see. It’s bad, bad enough. Bad enough in that you’re quite fuzzy.
"I’ve got to teach myself a new way of learning. I have a photographic memory so a person saying to me, 'This is your line' - I can do that. And I have many people who can help me. Nevertheless, I realise that I need to know where it is on the page. I’ll teach myself a way, I know I will. So long as I don’t trip over doing it."
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