In 2019, actress Dame Judi Dench made it known that she had a dry form of macular degeneration in one eye and a wet form in the other. "I just want to go on being mobile ... I'm not going to be beaten by my eyes," she told England's Sunday Post.

Today, she has friends help her memorize lines because she can no longer read scripts on her own.

Eleven million people in the U.S. have age-related macular degeneration (AMD); it's the leading cause of vision loss.

Dry AMD happens when the macula thins over several years. Wet AMD — less common than dry AMD — is caused by abnormal blood vessel growth in the back of the eye. Dry AMD can turn into wet AMD.

Signs of developing AMD include mild blurriness in your central vision and, in later stages, straight lines may look wavy or crooked, colors may dim, and you may have trouble seeing in low light.

Regular dilated eye exams can detect AMD before symptoms are severe. It's also smart to have yearly retinal imaging if you're 50 or older.

Wet AMD treatments to stop progression include a vitamin mix and eye injections of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). In addition, there are now two injectable drugs for late-stage dry AMD that slow progression.  

The AREDS-2 nutritional supplement delays or prevents intermediate AMD from advancing. It contains 500 mg of vitamin C, 400 IU of vitamin E, 2 mg of copper, 80 mg of zinc, 10 mg of lutein, and 2 mg of zeaxanthin and beta carotene.