Is 6 Tips If You Are wondering Should My Child Wear Sunglasses just trying to sell sunglasses? I think you will appreciate the information about this kids and sunglasses question!
While sunglasses are sometimes worn as a fashion accessory, these same sunglasses will also protect your child’s eyes. We all need protection from the sun’s powerful ultraviolet rays that can cause problems later in life.
Sunglasses that block 99-100% of UV Rays, playground proof lens, let your kids help choose, Mom is the keeper of the glasses, set a good example, don’t forget a wide-brimmed hat.
Yes, your kids as well need to wear hats to protect their eyes. To protect their eyes, this sun hat needs a brim wide enough to deflect the sun,
When children don’t wear sunglasses, they are at risk for skin and eye damage. Just like we as adults are learning that there really is a need for eyes need protection. Sunglasses are not just to help us look cool!
With kids, their eyelids, and the skin around their eyes? This is very delicate and much more vulnerable than your adult skin. Helping them learn to be careful early in life will make the skin healthier and their eyesight stronger as they age.
This damage from ultraviolet rays builds up over time. The damage keeps accumulating. So the sooner you start protecting your children’s eyes from the sun, the lower their risk of developing future eye problems.
Your child’s eye problems could include cataracts and age-related macular degeneration, which can blur vision and dull colors. Do you want your child to live a life not seeing the beautiful colors in our world? It happens sooner rather than later.
Sun Glasses Are Considered Sun Blocking Clothing
Helping your child learn to wear sunglasses is important for their overall health while protecting themselves from too much sun.
So when you think about sun blocking clothing, don’t forget the most important part, their sun hat.
The bare-headed children are surely at risk for sun damage to their eyes and their heads, faces ears, and noses. This is the first line of defense from sun blocking clothing. Sun Hats!
Think sun hats and sunglasses for your child’s protection.
Now back to your child’s eyes. There are some short-term physical side effects as well that can happen for children who have been over-exposed to the sun’s UV rays.
One common condition that children have is with red eyes and growths called pterygium. These non-cancerous lesions form in your child’s eye after prolonged exposure to ultraviolet light.
Your child can also develop photokeratitis or “snow blindness.” While this is a temporary condition, it usually corrects itself in a few minutes. It is overexposure to the sun, and like all sun dangers, accumulative.
Without a way to know how many exposures we have before it increases the cataract on your child’s eye, it is a risk to avoid.
This happens when the ultraviolet rays reflect off the sand or water or snow or the pavement or and cause a temporary loss of vision.
Consider helping your child remember to wear sunglasses on overcast days as UV rays can still do damage. Fortunately, good sunglasses will protect both the skin around the eye and the eye itself.
When Should My Child Start Wearing Sunglasses?
When your infant is under 12 months old there should be no exposure to the direct sun.
However, here in central Texas, that would be almost impossible. So you can do what you can to shade your little one. You can put a hat on your infant, pull the shade over the stroller seat and sit in the shade at every opportunity.
When your child gets to be 12 months old, they should wear sunglasses. Older children should wear sunglasses anytime they are outside in any environment.
Should your child need prescription glasses,? Then they should also wear prescription sunglasses. So being sure to keep your youngster protected from the sun will keep you busy, but will pay dividends with healthy eyesight and less skin cancer around his or her eyes.
Pay attention when they are young. It is important and sets a behavior pattern for taking care of their eyesight. You can tell them that other kids may not wear sunglasses, but in our family we do. Good eyesight is important.
What To Look For When Shopping For My Child’s Sunglasses?
Just like when you are shopping for yourself, there are some things to consider. So here are some Tips to keep in mind when shopping for sunglasses for your Child.
- Check labels and hang tags to make sure the sunglasses you buy block 99 to 100 percent of both UVA (long length) and UVB (short length) rays.
If those tags and labels are not there to let you know what you are buying, don’t buy! All sunglasses should have labels that indicate the UVR protection they provide. Good for children are the large wraparound-style sunglasses that cover a lot of skin. - Look for playground-proof lenses.
Kids are always on the go and their sunglasses should match their active lifestyle. Search for the polycarbonate, impact-resistant, scratch-proof lenses that won’t pop out of the frames. Speaking of frames, they should be bendable but unbreakable. Your childs’ sunglasses should fit snugly and close to your child’s face. Plastic lenses are perferred, unless your doctor recommends glass lenses. - Allow your child to choose his or her glasses.
Your child is more likely to actually wear the sunglasses when they’re allowed to pick them out. Give your child a choice between a few pairs of sunglasses that meet these specifications. - Make sure everyone knows that you are the keeper of the sunglasses.
By keeping your child’s sunglasses in a safe place when they’re not being worn you can prevent them from being lost, broken or forgotten or given to a playground friend. - You, as a parent can set a good example. Learning to wear them is so much easier when he see’s you wearing your sunglasses. As the parent, wear your sunglasses when out. This helps your child make wearing them part of their routine.
- It is important, don’t forget sunscreen and a hat!
Sunglasses block ultraviolet rays that come directly through the lenses. The skin around your eyes, your forehead, nose and cheeks are exposed to ultraviolet rays that reflect off surrounding surfaces. Be sure your child is wearing a wide-brimmed hat and sunscreen that block the sun from above and from the sides.
This can give your child a good start to understanding how to care for their skin, just by following what you have been doing.
How Will You Use This Information?
We see adults wearing sunglasses on bright, sunny days when they are outside or driving.
However, how often do you see children wear sunglasses? It is rare, isn’t it? This should not be how it is. Children need to protect their eyes just as much as adults, if not more.
UV exposure can harm the eyes as well as the skin, and the cumulative effect of UV rays can be very damaging.
We as parents have good intentions. Of the 73 percent of adults who wear sunglasses, 58 percent of them encourage their children to wear sunglasses.
This may last for a short time, but it is difficult to be consistent. Often, those sunglasses get lost or broken and are not replaced.
Were you aware that children with blue eyes are at a greater risk for UV damage than children with brown eyes? Parents should be aware that blue eyes need vigilant protection.
Especially on days at the beach or wherever there is a lot of exposure, for a long time, our children are at risk for sunburn of their eyes. UV damage can come in many different forms.
Sami’s Take On 6 Tips If You Are Wondering “Should My Child Wear Sunglasses?”
The evidence and research are there to make me believe it is worth providing our kids with sunglasses. I didn’t have them as a child. However, when I was that young, my parents did not wear them either.
We now know better. The evidence leads from exposure as young kids to the early presence of eye problems.
Starting a program of protecting you and your children when they’re young will pay off as they mature.
We used to think it was cool to smoke. Then we thought it was important to get a Coppertone Tan. We know better. Help your kids be healthy adults.