Dame Judi Dench reveals she can’t leave home alone as she shares worrying health update
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DAME Judi Dench has revealed she can no longer leave her house alone due to her deteriorating eyesight. The legendary actress, 90, first opened up about her age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in 2012. The condition is the biggest cause of sight loss in the UK, affecting more than 700,000 people.
![[Judi Dench at the premiere of No Time To Die.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/actor-judi-dench-poses-world-935412167_8e42dc.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
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.”.
![[Judi Dench at a film premiere.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/3ff18b2e-eaff-4430-ac62-0fd09002809f.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
The disease does not cause total blindness, but it can make everyday activities difficult. In a new 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.
![[Judi Dench as Ophelia in a dress rehearsal of Hamlet.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/8651894e-f0d8-4ed7-812f-cd9869fd8ed8.jpg?strip=all&w=866)
"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. Dame Judi previously insisted she wants to "work as much as I can" despite her failing eyesight. "I mean, I can't see on a film set anymore," she told The Mirror's Notebook magazine.
