Children and sunglasses

It is a good idea to let children wear sunglasses.  Children spend more time outside and are at increased risk of  damage to the light sensitive retina at the back of the eye. Exposure to ultra violet rays  may raise the child’s risk of cataract  and other eye problems later in life. Don’t  push it  if the child resists wearing sunglasses . You can use a visor or hat that keeps the sun out of the child’s eyes.

If your child likes  the idea of wearing sunglasses, let her  choose it. It makes it  more likely for her to  wear it. Wearing sunglasses yourself might also help because she may want to copy you.

When buying sunglasses you have to look out for those with a label that says it blocks 99 to 100 percent of both UVA and UVB rays. A label that also says the glasses meet ANSI (American National Standards Institute) requirements or block UV absorption up to 400 nm (nanometers) also offers protection.

You have to beware of labels that says blocks  UV rays,” but don’t specify the actual percentage of UV radiation the lenses absorb. You also have to know that UV rays can  penetrate clouds.  It is good for  your kids to wear their sunglasses even on overcast days to protect their eyes.

The color of the lenses (that is how dark or light it is ) shouldn’t matter. This is because UV protection comes from the chemical applied to the lense and not the color .

However you have to know that lighter lenses don’t offer much protection from the brightness of the sun and very dark ones may cause your child’s pupil to extend to let in  more light.

You have to replace the sunglasses as soon as the lenses become scratched or  you can choose a polycarbonate lenses for impact resistance.