Dame Judi Dench reveals she can’t go out alone due to worsening eyesight: ‘I will fall over’
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The Oscar winner first opened up about her macular degeneration in 2012. Dame Judi Dench has provided an update on her deteriorating eyesight, saying she is unable to attend events alone and requires someone to “always be with me”. In 2012, Dench first revealed that she had been diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a degenerative eye condition which is the biggest cause of sight loss in the UK, affecting more than 700,000 people, according to the Macular Society. While the condition does not cause total blindness, it can make everyday activities quite difficult.
Dench, who turned 90 last year, revealed during a podcast appearance that she was never a fan of doing red carpet events alone, and now has to do it with someone with her. “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.”.
In 2019, Dench said she had had to give up driving because of her eyesight, calling it “one of the most traumatic moments” of her life. “It was absolutely appalling,” she said at the time. “But I just know I’ll kill somebody if I get behind the wheel of a car now.”.
