Eye protection for children?

loveleymom55 wrote: Hey everyone, I am new to the board. Have any of you considered sunglasses for your young ones? I have been reading a lot of articles about how children under 10 are the most susceptible to UV rays and should wear sunglasses whenever outside. I have a four year old daughter and never really thought about it until recently,but I figured if we need them, why not them? Are any of you concerned about this?

MyBabeMaddie replied: They sell sunglasses for kids, they are pretty cute... I say if your kid wants to wear them let them if they don't thats fine too - Unless you live somewhere REALLY Sunny and/or your kid likes to look at the sun then I would say YES definitely, otherwise I would say its not that big of a deal - People make such a stink about things now-a-days that nobody ever thought of 50 years ago and they grew up okay.

CantWait replied: I give my kids the option for sunglasses. If they choose to wear them, great!! If not, then they know better not to come to me later and complain.

Sunglasses don't only help with your eyes and UV rays, but with headaches. If I don't wear mine, I have enormous headaches.

Calimama replied: Miabella has baby sunglasses but she only wears them at the beach. They are hard to keep on her.

mysweetpeasWil&Wes replied: Being up 7200 in elevation here, yes, it worries me. But my kids would never keep them on. Wil has a pair and he likes them from time to time, but not for long. I ALWAYS have a hat on them though when we are playing outside in the spring and summer. And we wear sunscreen which obviously doesn't protect their eyes, but a wide hat does.

luvmykids replied: My kids are pretty good about it, but I can't say they always wear them. We're in a high elevation too, so I'm super diligent about sunscreen and they all wear their cowboy hats outside.

Brias3 replied: My kids are older now, so its easier to keep them in sunglasses, but most of the time they typically just have sunscreen on and a hat when I can get them to remember to wear one.

grapfruit replied: Being as my bf's brother has uveitis, it would be nice to TRY and have our (future) kids to wear them...but I know how that goes. I think hats are a good alternative.


Let me preface that link, w/we're not sure HOW Scott developed the Uveitis. There's a theory that it was due to the wrong medication being Rx'd when he had pink eye as a child. BUT we're not sure. However, his eye doctor has shared many interesting things about the eyes. For instance, you should really try hard not to rub your eye as it compresses it and can cause or aggravate an astigmatism. SO I think the UV rays probably aren't something to mess around with...

My3LilMonkeys replied: The girls both have sunglasses, but they were them more often inside than outside. To me, it's not worth the headache to argue with them for hours on end to keep putting them back on.

Nina J replied: Protection from UV rays is very important to me. Everyone should wear singlasses, so my family does. As well as sunscreen and hats. I live in Australia and if countries had national cancer's, skin cancer would be ours. We have the highest rate of skin cancer in the world. 1600 Australians die from skin cancer every year, and of the new cancer cases reported every year, 80% are skin cancer. So, sunglasses, sunscreen and hats are always on when we're outside, and we try to stay in the shade and keep as covered as possible. eg. when we go swimming, we wear a tshirt over our bathing suits.

MommyToAshley replied: You bring up a good point. We do pretty good with the sunscreen, but don't always wear sunglasses. Also, I don't know if anyone has read the info on the toy sunglasses that kids get, but they offer no UV protection. You'd have to buy "real" sunglasses for them. If you are not sure, just read the package.

Nina J replied:
LOL! My own spelling mistake made me literally laugh out loud

edit: I seriously cannot spell.

grapfruit replied:
Singlasses huh? I have to wonder what you see when you wear those!

loveleymom55 replied: I see that it is a big concern for others too. I actually just recently found a really great pair of sunglasses that my daughter loves that offer 100% UV protection. I never realized how many childrens sunglass brands are cute but don't offer the protection that they need. My First Shades has a great pair of sunglasses that are cute(pink daisies) and have the full protection. The good thing about these is that they are banded so they actually stay on her head since she is an active little one, ha. Its so cute when me and her are out and I have on my shades and she has on hers. Its like she feels just like mommy, its so adorable. I would definitely recommend this brand to other parents who are having trouble finding the right pair for their kids.

ramirez replied: UV radiation in sunlight is commonly divided into UVA and UVB rays, and your sunglasses should block both forms.Children should also wear sunglasses. Should not be the toy sunglasses, sunglasses, but they show the real level of protection against UV rays, as with adults. Polycarbonate lenses are generally recommended for children because they are more resistant to shocks.

aliza.wine replied: Hmm..its my first time to know that kids can also wear sunglasses..Can o i let my 3 year old son to wear sunglass? Isn't it too early for his age?