LONDON, Oct. 23 -- Dame Judi Dench, one of Britain's most celebrated actors, says her failing eyesight has taken her off the stage and away from reading.

The Oscar-winning actress, 91, was diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in 2012, and it has since made it incredibly difficult for her to even recognise faces.

"I can't be on stage. I can't do a play anymore. I can't do a film anymore. I can't read anymore," she said in an interview on BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

Her sight loss has increasingly affected her work, with Dench previously speaking about struggling to see on film sets and having difficulty learning scripts.

It also leads to awkward moments, as she sometimes approaches the wrong people and gives them "a...