Judi Dench at 91: "I Can't Do Theatre, Film or Even Read Any More" - Macular Degeneration Is Taking Her Central Vision

Judi Dench, the actress who for decades played both Shakespeare and James Bond, said at 91 that she can no longer work. "I can't do theatre, film or even read any more," she told the Today programme on BBC Radio 4. The reason isn't age itself, but an eye disease she has had since 2012: age-related macular degeneration.

The disease attacks the central part of the retina and gradually reduces central vision. A person can move around a room but be unable to read a line of text or recognise the face in front of them. For an actress whose craft is reading scripts and looking a scene partner in the eye, that is the end of a career.

Ophthalmologist José Ignacio Fernández Choque de Isla from the Quirónsalud hospital in Córdoba lists the first signs: blurred vision in the centre, straight lines that look wavy, difficulty recognising faces, dark spots in the middle of the visual field and a need for more and more light. His advice is simple - at the first sign, see an ophthalmologist, without delay.

There are two forms. The dry form is more common and progresses slowly. The wet form is rarer but can worsen within days or weeks, and it is treated with anti-VEGF injections into the eye. Which form Dench has cannot be determined from publicly available information.

There is no cure that restores lost retinal tissue. Treatments can slow its progression and sometimes even improve vision, especially if they start early. For some patients with the dry form, supplements based on the AREDS2 formula can reduce the risk of deterioration - but that is a doctor's decision, not one for the pharmacy shelf.

The risk factors are well known and, unfortunately, common: age over 60, smoking, family history and unprotected exposure to ultraviolet rays. Prevention doesn't sound heroic - no cigarettes, a good diet, exercise, controlled blood pressure and cholesterol. How many people have had an eye check-up before they started seeing badly?

Dench leaves behind roles that will be watched for a long time: M in the Bond films, Queen Elizabeth I in "Shakespeare in Love", "Philomena", "Iris", "Belfast". The message of her retirement is simpler than any review: eyesight isn't kept by luck, but by a timely check-up.