Judi Dench on Vision Loss: ‘I Can’t Recognize Anybody Now’

Legendary British actress Dame Judi Dench says she can no longer see most things around her due to age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which she was diagnosed with in 2012.

AMD is an eye disease that affects a person’s central vision and limits their ability to see things in front of them, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

During a joint interview on the British television program ITV News with 86-year-old veteran actor Sir Ian McKellen, she said, although she could recognize him, “I can’t recognize anybody now.…I can’t see the television, [and I] can’t see to read.”

Dench and McKellen reunited for the 50th anniversary of the Royal Shakespeare Company's 1976–77 staging of Macbeth, in which they costarred, with McKellen as Macbeth and Dench as Lady Macbeth. They reprised their roles for a videotaped version released in 1979.

McKellen joked with Dench, asking, “Do you go up to total strangers and say, ‘Lovely to see you again?’ ” She comically replied, “Yes, sometimes.”

When the ITV News interviewer asked if she could see at the theater, Dench simply said, “No.”

AMD affects nearly 20 million Americans over 40 in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Dr. Jeffry Gerson, an optometrist in private practice in Olathe, Kansas, told AARP in September that “although significant advances have been made in treating AMD, it remains the leading cause of severe vision loss for adults over 50, affecting far more people than glaucoma.”

AMD damages the macula, a small part of the retina located at the back of the eye. The macula is responsible for sharp, central vision, which we rely on for activities such as reading, recognizing faces, driving and even seeing fine details on a smartphone or tablet. There are two main types of AMD: dry AMD, which develops slowly with macula thinning and fatty deposits, and wet AMD, a more severe form where abnormal blood vessels grow under the retina, leak fluid or blood, and rapidly damage the macula. Symptoms of AMD include blurriness, wavy straight lines and blank areas in a person’s central vision. Diet and exercise can help protect against eye disease.

AARP has more information available regarding eye and vision health and caregiving for a loved one with macular degeneration.