Dame Judi Dench has revealed she is now completely unable to read scripts due to her advanced macular degeneration.
The 88-year-old has heartbreakingly told how it's now 'impossible' to learn lines unaided as she discussed her battle with the eyesight condition, which has left her not being able to read or write.
Having first revealed her diagnosis in 2012, the James Bond star has admitted that the condition is really impacting her ability to be independent.
Dame Judi said AMD has made it “impossible” to read scripts and even cut up her own food.
She has been open about the condition in the past, telling Louis Theroux about her struggles during an interview broadcast on BBC2 in November.
She said she refuses to retire but isn’t “doing much at the moment because I can’t see”.
And on The Graham Norton Show this weekend, Dame Judi told how she’s now on the hunt for a new way to learn lines in a way that she can utilise her photographic memory.
She’s looking for a machine that can not only read lines out to her but also tell her where they are on a page so she can put her memory skills to work.
Appearing on the red sofa with Hugh Jackman, Michael B. Jordan, Eugene Levy, Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas and Pink on Friday’s episode, Judi explained her frustration at needing help to do her job.
The Oscar-winning actress explained: “It has become impossible and because I have a photographic memory, 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.”
The Belfast star previously recalled how she went out for dinner recently with her partner David Mills and he had to cut up her food for her as she couldn't see it on her plate properly.
The NHS describes the condition as 'age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a common condition that affects the middle part of your vision. It usually first affects people in their 50s and 60s'.
Given it is linked to ageing, more Brits are expected to develop the disease — sometimes known as age-related macular degeneration and abbreviated to AMD — due to people living longer.
Judi has one eye "wet" and the other "dry" with AMD.
Those unlucky enough to have the “wet” type of AMD can find the loss of vision can come on very suddenly, rapidly deteriorating over just months or even weeks.
Others — thought to be about a tenth of suffers — will have what is known as the “dry” form of the condition.
It does not cause total blindness. But it can make everyday activities like reading and recognising faces difficult.
The exact cause is unknown but it's been linked to smoking, high blood pressure , being overweight and having a family history of AMD.
