So some of you wondered about my pinhole glasses. The kind I have are called “Foxy.”

As you can see, the lenses are opaque with holes poked in them. To see how they work for yourself, poke a hole in a piece of paper with a pin and look through. If you normally wear glasses, you should be able to see clearly through that hole without your glasses. Something to do with the way light bounces around your retina. Click the link above for a complete explanation.

Anyway, I wore prescription glasses for a long time, about ten years, but I was never satisfied with my vision. It never seemed quite right, and finally I decided to go without glasses for a few days to see if my headaches improved. They did, and I could see fine after a few days of adjusting to naked sight after years of looking through goggles. I’m done with glasses forever. I’ll never have prescription spectacles again until a government representative tells me I must.

It’s a long story, but what I found during that experimental time was that I can see fine without glasses, but my vision deteriorates quickly when my eyes are fatigued, and that fatigue triggers migraines. I found pinhole glasses to be a cheap and easy alternative, and I only use them on days when a migraine feels imminent. Looking through the pinholes keeps me from having to focus too hard, and keeps the migraine at bay if I’m vigilant. And the rest of the time I don’t have to wear glasses.

Pinhole glasses don’t work well for web surfing, where your eyes are jumping from one element to another on the page, but they’re good for reading, both on-screen and off. This pair was el cheapo and one of the arms broke off. I’d love to invest in a nicer pair.