Legendary actress Dame Judi Dench recently shared a candid look at how her declining eyesight affects her daily life. In a conversation on the "Fearless" podcast with Trinny Woodall, the 90-year-old revealed she now requires assistance when going out due to her vision impairment. "Somebody will always be with me," she explained, adding with characteristic good humor, "I have to now because I can’t see, and I will walk into something or fall over."

Dench has been navigating age-related macular degeneration for over a decade. This condition, as outlined by Johns Hopkins Medicine, primarily impacts the central vision of individuals aged 50 and above, and rarely leads to complete blindness. Dench's acknowledgment of her vision challenges echoes her previous statements about the impact of the condition on her acting career. In a 2023 appearance on "The Graham Norton Show," she shared that reading scripts and memorizing lines had become "impossible" due to her failing eyesight. Having relied on a photographic memory throughout her career, she expressed her need for technology that could assist her with both learning lines and locating them on the page.

Despite these hurdles, Dench maintains a positive outlook. She previously addressed her condition in 2014, emphasizing her desire to avoid media exaggeration and assuring that she was adapting to the changes and did not anticipate complete blindness. By 2016, she noted that solo travel had become difficult, requiring a companion to help navigate potential obstacles.

From her 1957 debut as Ophelia in "Hamlet" at the Royal Court Theatre to her Academy Award-winning performance in "Shakespeare in Love" (1988) and Tony Award for "Amy's View" (1999), Dench's illustrious career spans stage and screen. Her recent comments offer a glimpse into her resilience and adaptability as she continues to navigate life with vision loss.