After sparking concern over her sight for her revelation that she's suffering from a degenerative eye condition, the 'My Week with Marilyn' actress assures that it 'will not lead to blindness.'
- Feb 21, 2012
AceShowbiz - Judi Dench has played down concerns that she's losing her vision due to a degenerative eye condition. On Monday, February 20, the actress known for her role as MI6's head, M, in various James Bond films released a statement in response to reports that suggest she's battling to save her eye sight, assuring that her revelation over her eye condition was overblown.
"In response to the numerous articles in the media concerning my eye condition - macular degeneration - I do not wish for this to be overblown," the 77-year-old actress told the press. "This condition is something that thousands and thousands of people all over the world are having to contend with. It's something that I have learnt to cope with and adapt to - and it will not lead to blindness."
Concerns that Dench is going blind grew after her interview with Britain's Daily Mirror was published on Saturday, February 18. In it, the "My Week with Marilyn" actress admitted she has been diagnosed with macular degeneration. "I can't read scripts any more because of the trouble with my eyes. And so somebody comes in and reads them to me, like telling me a story," she confessed.
"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 continued on. "I've got what my ma had, macular degeneration, which you get when you get old. I had wet in one eye and dry in the other and they had to do these injections and I think it's arrested it. I hope so."
Dench didn't let her eye condition slow her down though. After appearing as Anna Marie in "J. Edgar", the Oscar winner will be seen in "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel", which has been set to hit theaters across the United States on May 4. She's also re-teaming with Daniel Craig for yet-another James Bond film, "Skyfall".
