Dame Judi Dench fighting macular degeneration, blindness

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Judi Dench unable to read scripts due to degenerative eye condition (Guardian)
Dame Judi Dench has revealed she can no longer read scripts due to her suffering from a degenerative condition that can lead to blindness.

The actor said she also cannot make out a person sitting opposite her at the dinner table because of the effects of macular degeneration, an eye condition that causes severe vision impairment.

Dench has undergone treatment that she hopes will stop the progression of the condition, which her mother also suffered from, and allow her to continue working.
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Dench said that she learns scripts with the help of friends. "And so somebody comes in and reads them to me, like telling me a story. It's usually my daughter or my agent or a friend and actually I like that, because I sit there and imagine the story in my mind," she told the Mirror.
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much more at link above
 
wow. this certainly took me by surprise. i haven't read link yet and am unfamiliar with the time frame in which this disease generally progresses, but wow....for anyone, a frightening diagnosis. she is a master at her craft who, hopefully, will work for many more years.
 
Oh this just breaks my heart... she is my most favorite actress. Bless her beautiful soul, I hope the surgery helps.
 
What a strong soldier, she must really love her job!

I still watch the comedy on PBS "As Time Goes By". While I know that is not what she is known for, I get to watch her every weekend, and still love it!

Best wishes for successful surgery!
 
I am not familiar with who this woman is, but I also have macular degeneration. I am 63 and was diagnosed with it several years ago and told to take special vitamins to try and slow the development of the condition. I am concerned because at least 6 blood relatives of mine have gone blind from this condition as they got older. This has not affected my vision yet but the eye doctor checks my eyes and says they are becoming more affected by the condition at every exam. I just can't imagine being blind and I worry about how I will manage if I become blind in the future, which the eye doctor has predicted I will at some point if I live long enough. I love to read, use the computer, watch TV, and train dogs, plus do volunteer work, so becoming blind and not able to do these things would be devastating to me. I wish they would find a prevention or cure. I wonder what treatment this actress is getting for macular degeneration. Did it say surgery somewhere? What kind of surgery?
 
Bless her heart.

I am facing blindness again from a dift. condition and having
my third surgery in March so I know what this feels like. I have
done this for years and it is rather painful. I only have one
eye involved now but it is still painful when the stick that
rather long needle in my eye before they use the laser.

Best wishes for you...

Goz..
 

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