Entertainment · Celebrity · 2 hrs ago
Judi Dench says worsening eyesight has ended her ability to act
Judi Dench says worsening eyesight has stopped her acting in plays and films and has made her unable to read.
The 91-year-old British actor has age-related macular degeneration, a condition diagnosed in 2012 that affects her central vision.
The condition makes everyday activities difficult, and Dench says she could not see her interviewer’s face or the bluebells she was told had bloomed.
Macular degeneration does not cause total blindness, but it can blur the sharp, straight-ahead vision people use for tasks such as reading.
Dench has also said she gave up driving in 2019 because she feared she could cause a crash.
She says she is learning to adjust and relies on friends to teach her scripts, while radio remains important to her.
She has released a memoir, but no further plans for her acting career are given.
Judi Dench says worsening eyesight means she can no longer act in plays or films, or read.
The 91-year-old actor was diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration in 2012.
She discussed her sight loss in an interview on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
Dench said she could not see interviewer Emma Barnett’s face and had been unable to see bluebells.
She has said she relies on friends to teach her scripts and has a photographic memory.
- Who
- Judi Dench, the 91-year-old actor.
- What
- She says she can no longer act in plays or films, or read, because of worsening eyesight.
- When
- She discussed her sight loss in an interview published on 22 October 2026.
- Where
- The interview was on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
- Why
- Her age-related macular degeneration has worsened her eyesight.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Dench was diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration.
Dench said she had given up driving because of her eyesight.
She said she could no longer see on a film set or read, and that friends helped teach her scripts.
Dench discussed worsening sight loss and her inability to act or read in a BBC Radio 4 interview.
- Age
- 91
- Condition
- Age-related macular degeneration
- Diagnosis
- 2012
- Interview programme
- BBC Radio 4’s Today
- Career span
- Seven decades
2 sources
What people are saying
I can't do a play, a film or read any more
I can't be on stage. I can't do a play anymore. I can't do a film anymore. I can't read anymore.
You’ve got to adjust to all that, and make allowances for it. and just get on and don’t think about it too much.
They said this summer was absolutely sensational with bluebells; I couldn’t see one.