Ditto for me, years ago I had a neuroma (nerve irritation) in the middle of the ball of the right foot. Turns out many SPD pedals put a lot of pressure on just a relatively small part of the foot, even if you wear relatively stiff bicycle specific shoes.
About three or four years ago, I put platform pedals (MKS BMX style sneaker pedals) on one bike and started riding it around in flat sole sneakers or sandals. No foot pains at all with the platforms. I'm age 52 and pedal about 5K to 6K miles a year. Been experimenting with different shoe combinations, but over time all 4 of my bikes ended up with platforms and I don't really ride any slower or different than I did when using SPDs. I have timed a 32 mile mostly non-stop route that has lots of ups and downs, and have no pedal or shoe caused time differences of any significance. Lately I've been riding with Keen Venice H2 sandals that have a nice beefy toe bumper for good protection up there, but my feet get to breathe well too. The footbed of these things are great, and they don't slip around the platform pedals. Great walking shoe too.