Judi Dench reveals she can't do plays or films anymore due to eye condition

Dame Judi Dench has revealed she can no longer perform on stage or screen due to her deteriorating eyesight.

The 91-year-old actress has been open about her vision problems ever since she was diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration in 2012.

Speaking to Emma Barnett on BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Thursday, the Oscar winner offered an update, revealing that her eyesight has deteriorated to the point where she can no longer act in films or on stage.

"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 said. "So you've got to adjust to all that and make allowances for it and just get on and don't think about it too much."

The Skyfall star also admitted that she is often unable to recognise faces, which has led to a few awkward encounters in which she's tried to give the wrong people "an almost hug".

When asked if ageing was any good, she replied, "(It's) rubbish. There's nothing to say for it at all, nothing at all, (I) don't think about it too much."

Over the years, the veteran actress has given updates on her condition and how it has affected her ability to work, with her previously revealing that she couldn't read scripts and struggled to see on film sets.

The Shakespeare in Love star has not retired though - she had a voice role in the 2026 movie The Magic Faraway Tree, a brief role in the short film Joke, and appeared in the 2025 documentary Judi Dench: Shakespeare, My Family and Me.

She is currently promoting her memoir, Is It Too Late to Make a Run for It?, which she wrote with theatre director Brendan O'Hea. The autobiography is out now.