Judi Dench says sight loss means she can no longer act or read

Dame Judi Dench says worsening sight loss has left her unable to act on stage or screen, or read, as the 91-year-old prepares to publish a memoir about her life and career.

“I can’t be on stage. I can’t do a play any more. I can’t do a film any more. I can’t read any more,” she told Emma Barnett on BBC Radio 4’s *Today* programme.

Dench was diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in 2012. The condition affects her vision and, she said, can make it difficult to recognise faces. She described sometimes approaching the wrong person and nearly hugging them before realising her mistake.

The actor has previously spoken about struggling to see on film sets and learn scripts. Despite her sight loss, she has continued to make public appearances. “The radio has always been important to me,” she has said.

Dench’s career spans more than seven decades. She won an Academy Award for best supporting actress for *Shakespeare in Love* in 1999 and made her debut as M in the James Bond film *GoldenEye* in 1995.

She spoke to the BBC ahead of the release of her memoir, *Is It Too Late to Make a Run for It?*, written with theatre director Brendan O’Hea.