Dame Judi Dench’s acting career in question after she reveals she ‘can’t even see’

Despite an illustrious career that has spanned decades, Dame Judi Dench’s future in the entertainment industry has been called into question after the screen icon revealed she “can’t even see”.

Although Dench has earned several accolades throughout her successful screen career and is adored by fans worldwide,  Dench has reduced her workload recently as she battles Advanced Macular Degeneration (AMD), which has posed challenges in reading scripts and delivering the impressive performance she has become known for.

Dench has not appeared on the big screen since 2022’s Spirited and given recent comments it seems the end of her successful career may be drawing closer.

While attending the Chelsea Flower Show recently a reporter inquired as to whether Dench has any new projects on the horizon.

“No, no, I can’t even see!” she replied.

Understandably, the comments are cause for concern, but when The Daily Mirror requested clarification, Dench’s representative explained that “Judi has nothing more to add than all she mentioned to the journalist.”

Dench previously opened up about her condition and how it has affected her ability to do her job during an appearance on The Graham Norton Show last year, the 89-year-old revealing that AMD had been particularly challenging while reading scripts.

“It has become impossible and because I have a photographic memory,” Dench explained at the time.

“I need to find a machine that not only teaches me my lines but also tells me where they appear on the page.

“I used to find it very easy to learn lines and remember them. I could do the whole of Twelfth Night right now.”

According to the Macular Disease Foundation Australia, advanced macular degeneration is a common condition among the elderly and “is responsible for half of all blindness and severe vision loss in this country”.

Per the MD Foundation’s website, AMD “affects the ability to read, watch TV, and recognise faces. But, by itself, AMD doesn’t lead to total vision loss (black blindness).”

“For some people, AMD advances very slowly and may not impact vision. For others, AMD may progress faster and lead to vision loss in one or both eyes,” the foundation said.

Despite the challenges, Dench has previously expressed her determination to continue performing “as much” as she can.

“I mean I can’t see on a film set anymore,” she previously told The Mirror. 

“And I can’t see to read. So I can’t see much. But you know you just deal with it. Get on. It’s difficult for me if I have any length of a part. I haven’t yet found a way. Because I have so many friends who will teach me the script. But I have a photographic memory.”

-with BANG.