It’s All about the Shades

It’s another busy morning, just like any other, except it’s summertime. You have your satchel packed with all of your most important documents, folders, and your laptop. The diaper bag is full of anything and everything baby could possibly (so you think) and you’re walking out the door. You grab your keys and sitting right next to your keys are your sunglasses. You throw them on and you hit the road.

Your sunglasses are a staple for those summer mornings. They don’t just bring together that perfect outfit, they also help you drive safely and allow you to walk around with your head held high, protecting your eyes from the sun’s harmful rays.

So you continue your day, you run errands and walk around enjoying the weather, but baby starts to cry. You try changing, feeding and still the crying does not stop. One possibility is that it’s too bright outside. You don’t go anywhere in the summertime without your shades, but did you know that baby’s eyes are more susceptible to sun damage than your own?

Young eyes receive 3 times more UV exposure than those of adults. This is because babies and children have larger pupils and clearer lenses. Making sure your kids wear sunglasses is more important than just avoiding discomfort, but it could also protect them from skin cancer around their eyes, cataracts, and macular degeneration!


Despite all of these frightening facts, only 29% of parents make sure that their kids wear sunglasses frequently or always.


Protecting your baby’s eyes is as easy as leaving an additional pair of sunglasses next to your keys and throwing them on in the morning. Ensuring that baby wears sunglasses for 30 minutes a day when exposed to the sun can result in 3,000 hours of UV free time! Learn more about how you can protect your baby’s eyes here.

 


References

https://www.thevisioncouncil.org/sites/default/files/TVC_UV_Report2016.pdf

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