'I don’t know how far I am from not being able to see at all' - Judi Dench opens up on her sight loss and says her 'hearing is going too'

Judi has been dealing with age-related macular degeneration for years

Judi Dench
(Image credit: Andreas Rentz / Staff / Getty Images)

Dame Judi Dench has opened up on the increasing loss of her sight and hearing at 90 years old.

"I don’t feel as young, though, now that I can't see,” Judi said in a candid interview with HELLO! , before going on to detail her struggle with age-related macular degeneration (also known as AMD).

She revealed her diagnosis back in 2012, bringing AMD, which is the biggest cause of sight loss in the UK, into the spotlight. Now, 13 years on, she's revealed that she is now "not far away" from becoming completely blind due to the condition.

"I don’t know how far I am from not being able to see at all, but it's not far away," she said. "That's very irritating."

British actress Judi Dench poses for a photograph upon arrival for the UK premiere of "Victoria & Abdul" in London on September 5, 2017

(Image credit: TOLGA AKMEN / Contributor via Getty Images)

One of the biggest issues she's faced with her sight loss has to do with recognising her friends, she added, saying that she routinely walks past those she knows without saying 'hello' - and she's also had a few mishaps with strangers, too.

She explained, "You end up cutting a lot of people dead, then you go up to complete strangers, give them the most enormous hug and say: 'I'm so sorry I haven't seen you for so long.'"

However, she has learnt a thing or two from her acting career and is now implementing those lessons into her everyday life to cope with her sight loss. "If you're an actress, you can act that you can see," she said. "I've had to act all my life, so I can act that I can see."

Judi Dench

(Image credit: Getty)

Judi also revealed that she's experiencing a lot of signs of hearing loss too, though she finds it "exciting" for a hilarious reason.

"My hearing is going, too," she shared. "Goodness knows what I nod and say 'yes' to. It's quite exciting, actually."

This is the positive attitude Judi is honing as she takes on her health struggles. "My mantra is to look at the positives. It's easier to live by than to let the minuses overwhelm you," she said.

Charlie Elizabeth Culverhouse
Freelance news writer

Charlie Elizabeth Culverhouse is a freelance royal news, entertainment and fashion writer. She began her journalism career after graduating from Nottingham Trent University with an MA in Magazine Journalism, receiving an NCTJ diploma, and earning a First Class BA (Hons) in Journalism at the British and Irish Modern Music Institute. She has also worked with Good To, BBC Good Food, The Independent, The Big Issue and The Metro.