British veteran actor Dame Judi Dench has been suffering from macular degeneration for at least a decade.
Having first revealed her diagnosis in 2012, the James Bond star has admitted more recently that the eyesight condition is really impacting her ability to be independent.
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.
With more of the population set to be affected, here are the details of the condition and how best to spot the symptoms.
What is macular degeneration?
Macular degeneration affects the “middle part” of your vision, according to the NHS.
It is prone to affecting people in their 50s and 60s.
Those affected have deterioration of the macula area of the retina, which is a part of the eye that deals with central and colour vision, as well as fine focus.
Symptoms include blurry vision with dark spots, and straight lines that appear wavy or fuzzy.
Over time, sufferers gradually lose more and more of their central vision, making driving, reading and watching TV difficult.
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.
It's been linked to smoking, high blood pressure, being overweight and having a family history of AMD.
Medical professionals recommend trying to lose weight, eating greens and oil fish and quitting smoking as a way of defending against it.
Even if your vision seems fine, having a bi-annual eye test – free on the NHS if you are over 60 – is important, as it can detect early changes in sight.
How is the condition affecting Judi Dench?
Dame Judi said AMD is making it difficult to read scripts and even cut up her own food.
The star has opened up about having advanced macular degeneration, which has left her not being able to read or write.
She has one eye "wet" and the other "dry" with AMD.
The 87-year-old told Louis Theroux about her condition during an interview broadcast on BBC2 on Tuesday (November 1).
The Oscar winner said: "I don't want to retire. I'm not doing much at the moment because I can't see. It's bad."
But she said she is determined to find a new way of learning her lines.
Judi said: "I have a photographic memory so a person saying to me, 'This is your line...' I can do that."
The Belfast star 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.
READ NEXT:
