Why do we need to protect our children’s eyes from the sun?

Why do we need to protect our children’s eyes from the sun?

Children are constantly told to “slip, slop and slap” to protect their skin against the harmful ultra violet (UV) rays. Since the level of UV light we are exposed to is increasing, it is essential that they also protect their eyes and the entire ocular area. UV damage to this part of our face can lead to problems like skin cancers, pterygia, cataracts and can also mean a greater risk to conditions, like macular degeneration, later in life. 

Since they spend a great deal of time outdoors, children get approximately three times the amount of UV exposure compared to adults. Research has shown us that the majority of UV damage to our eyes is done before we are eighteen years old. This is because the lens inside a child’s eyes is not capable of filtering out as much of the harmful UV rays as that of an adult. In fact, a child’s ocular lens actually lets through 70% more UV light.

As you can see, children should be wearing sunglasses when they are playing, climbing, jumping, riding, running, scooting and generally having fun outdoors!

Our groovy, lightweight, polarised sunglasses will protect your child’s eyes from the sun and at the same time decrease the amount of glare reaching their eyes, therefore making their vision more comfortable.

Please encourage your children to not only “slip, slop and slap”, but also to “slide on some sunglasses”! 


 

Back to blog