Safer Child Products

June 20, 2011

We all know that we need to wear sunscreen to protect ourselves and our children from the harmful rays of the sun that can cause sunburns and cancer, but do you know that eyes can get a sunburn too?  It is called Photokeratitis and according to Simon Eye Associates and the American Optometric Association, this causes “painful symptoms such as red eye, gritty feeling in the eye, excessive tearing and extreme sensitivity to light.” 

There are harmful long term effects as well such as cataracts and macular degeneration, so protect your own and your child’s vision by using sunglasses that block out as close to 100% of of both UV-A AND UV-B radiation as you can find and sceen out “75 –90% of visible light.”  Also, be sure that the glasses do not distort your vision.

Encourage your children to wear their sunglasses when they are playing outside, at the beach or pool, and even when playing sports.  A hat is helpful, but is not enough to protect your eyes from the harmful rays.

www.visioncenter4kids.com has additional tips and facts about protecting your children’s eyes from Sun Damage. They explained that children’s eyes have “larger pupils and clearer lenses, so when spending time outdoors, a child will receive 3x the UV ray exposure as an adult.”

Set a good example for your children and wear your sunglasses!  Good quality sunglasses do not have to be expensive!