Pinhole glasses advice please

[Cockerspadge]

Hi everyone. I’m wondering if anyone has any experience of these gadgets. I won’t bore you with all my ophthalmic problems but myopic since childhood & now have various issues & need injections every six weeks or so. Had sight test at opticians in December & was told no improvement on my current prescription. Had appt at hospital in March, sight was checked whilst wearing glasses & was much improved when using the pinhole. I’m wearing varifocals at the mo but find my sight changes most days. Most days close vision is good so my glasses are on my head when reading etc but then I need them for distance & I’m struggling to see clearly. I chatted with my consultant about the pinhole & we wondered if I’d be better with single vision lens instead of varifocals but I’ve seen you can buy pinhole glasses & wondered if anyone has any experience of them. Plus, pinhole glasses are very cheap compared to paying for new glasses which might not be of any benefit. Any help or advice would be much appreciated. TIA.

[tallyho]

Usually seeing better with pinholes mean you may need a different glasses prescription to what u have. You probably know pinhole glasses direct the image more to the macular and you don’t get the displacement onto other parts of the macular which happens without pinholes not heard of pinhole glasses that would be disadvantageous your side vision

[Cockerspadge in reply to tallyho]

Thanks for your reply tallyho . Yeh, I agree with you about the improvement with pinhole indicating a new prescription might be beneficial. I had a chat with my optician about it & he said it’s not always the case. Although my sight was only tested (at a different opticians) in December he would be happy to do another one but didn’t want to raise my hopes. As I’m having regular injections & my sight changes quite often, he said we’d have to be specific about when my eyes were tested. He would be happy to provide a new single lens prescription but it would be in the region of £40 with no guaranteed improvement which is why I was asking about pinhole glasses, not for regular long term use, just for occasional use. Thanks again for your reply. Best wishes.

[MikeG1944]

Hi Cockerspadge; I experimented with these. They basically give you a wider range that is in focus the same as adjusting a camera to a smaller aperture. The downside is that , as with a camera, there is less light getting to the eye, so you need a brighter light. They are certainly worth playing with, but don't spend a lot of money on expensive ones as they are all the same, and you can find some very cheap on ebay for a few pounds. They are certainly not something you would want to wear all day though. Hope that helps. Mike.

[Cockerspadge]

That helps a lot Mike., thank you. They wouldn’t be for regular use & for the price, I might just blow my housekeeping money & give them a try 😀. Thanks for taking the time to reply & for the advice. Best wishes.

[Rosalyn-helpline Partner]

Hello Cockerspadge,

Whilst sight is relatively good, then individuals can generally manage with varifocals or bifocals if preferred. However, if there becomes any noticeable impact to sight, then generally single vision lenses are preferable; separate for close up and distance vision. They are potentially easier to use, as all of the lens is equally in focus, and you can potentially use all of it. Whereas, with e.g. varifocals, if your area of damage corresponds with e.g. the lower band on the varifocals devoted to reading, then this renders it redundant.

It is also generally easier to use a magnifier with a single vision lens.

I have had calls where individuals have been interested in trying out pinhole glasses. However, as indicated, something to take into account is that they would would not be suitable for moving around in, as they would impact on your ability to use your peripheral vision. They may also increase eye strain if used for long periods/

Kind regards,

Rosalyn

Macular Society Advice and Information Service

0300 3030 111

[e-mail]

[Cockerspadge in reply to Rosalyn-helpline]

Hello Rosalyn. Thanks for your reply & advice. With the agreement of my optician, I have decided to put single vision glasses on hold for the moment. I understand & agree with what you say about having a full lens in focus with a single vision lens, but my sight is complicated & I find visual acuity can change daily so I can take advantage of the variation in prescription provided by the varifocals lens. It is distant vision which is causing me problems. Sometimes wearing my glasses as normal provides good visual acuity, on other days I have to adjust which part of the lens I look through by lifting up the lens or sometimes drawing my glasses further away from my face . I joked with my optician that I would benefit from using a lorgnette 😀. Some days, my distance vision is better without my glasses which is usually after I’ve had an injection. My situation is complicated further by Macular Oedema so I have problems with glare; my right eye is amblyopic so I only use the left eye. I have bitten the bullet & ordered a pair of pinhole specs but would only use them in the house for watching tv etc and for relatively short periods of time. Thanks again for your advice & support, it is much appreciated. Best wishes.

[Rosalyn-helpline Partner]

Dear Cockerspadge,

Many thanks for your reply.

I have copied a link to our booklet, Protecting your eyes, which discusses the glare issue:

macular-2020071509040861370...

Please contact us direct if you would like a list of supplier's details.

Kind regards,

Rosalyn

Macular Society Advice and Information Service

0300 3030 111

[e-mail]

[Cockerspadge in reply to Rosalyn-helpline]

Thank you so much Rosalyn.