Tips for Encouraging Protective Eyewear for Children

TIPS FOR ENCOURAGING PROTECTIVE EYEWEAR OUTDOORS

Children wearing sunglasses is a healthy habit that Edge Optics would like to teach ALL of our patients. Sunglasses are fully recommended by all medical professionals for children. Luckily, shades for babes has been a growing trend because of cute, fashionable styles available to kids! In reality it is a necessity for preventing cancer, sunburns on the eyes, an increased prescription, cataracts and much more!! Every year we learn more about the harmful effects of the sun on our eyes. Children, especially, have very sensitive eyes. UV radiation exposure causes 90 percent of all skin cancers. In addition, retinal exposure to UV radiation is associated with cataracts and macular degeneration, both leading causes of vision impairment. UV radiation damage builds over time, so the sooner you start protecting your children’s eyes from the sun, the lower their risk will be of developing future eye problems.

Let your child choose the frames!

As long as they block 100% of UVA and UVB rays—let your kid pick their favorite. That way they’ll be more likely to wear them.

Don’t buy cheap sunglasses!

A cheap pair of sunglasses that does not fully block UVA/UVB can actually cause more damage to your eyes because your pupils’ dilate letting in more light! We carry many affordable, quality kids sunglasses designed with comfort and style in mind.

If possible – train your child to wear shades at a young age!

We started putting sunglasses on our babies as newborns. They have always worn shades outside and now remind us when they don’t have them! 🙂 They love wearing them and feel a lot more comfortable.

Put the sunglasses on while they’re facing the sun!

Another tip is that if your child keeps throwing them off, face him/her toward the sun and then put the shades on…they will like the relief and keep them on!

Scratch-resistant and impact-resistant!

If your child falls, you don’t want his/her sunglasses to break! This is crucial, and will probably happen. If he/she has a cheap pair that breaks, they will be afraid to wear them again. That’s why both of these qualities really matter.

Try a hat and sunglasses!

For babies and small children, it might be harder to remove both. Put the hat on first and secure it under their chin, then add the sunglasses and distract them by doing something fun outside! Pretty soon – they’ll just go with the flow!