My mother is self-conscious about eating in front of others. How can I help?

My 94 yo blind mother has had 2 strokes and numerous TIAs. She can feed herself sitting propped up in bed. She HATES when anyone watches her eat and becomes very agitated. She refuses to let anyone feed her. After she gets her food cut up into small pieces, she says to leave her alone and "DON'T WATCH ME EAT!" I'm afraid she'll choke. I hover in another room and listen. Any ideas how to help improve this situation?