Mary Tyler Moore is nearly blind as a result of the Type 1 diabetes she has suffered since her 30s,
The Washington Post reports.
Friends of the 77-year-old actress, star of her eponymous show that began in 1970 and chronicled women's changing roles in society, told Closer Magazine her vision loss is so profound she is virtually sightless.
"Her eyesight is what the big problem is right now," said Mary Tyler Moore Show co-star Betty White. "[She] is almost beyond the point [of being able to see]. "
In 2011, Moore's spokesman, Alla Plotkin, told the Daily Mail that the actress underwent surgery to remove a meningioma, a benign tumor of the lining tissue of her brain. Since 2012, her mobility has declined and she has suffered heart and kidney problems.
"I don't see her often, but I talk to her a bunch," said Dick Van Dyke, who played her husband on "The Dick Van Dyke Show." He added: "She hasn't been too well. She's really having a battle with it, I'm sorry to say."