Parents have to remember that their children can’t make decisions for themselves. Thus it is the parents responsibility to make these decisions for them. One area that parents seem to forget about a whole lot is protecting their children’s eyes from the damage caused by the sun.
Countless times I’ve observed families at the beach where the parents will spend the time slathering sunscreen all over their kid’s bodies, but then send them running off to play without protection for their eyes. This to me is unbelievable. How could they forget about such an important part of the body?
A recent study that I read found that 75 percent of parents expose their children to bright sunlight without protection. Furthermore, the study found that oftentimes when parents did provide protection for their eyes, they often put price before protection. Children need real sunglasses that provide real protection, the same as adults. Toy sunglasses are not going to provide the protection that their young eyes need. When looking for sunglasses for your children always make sure to look that they provide UV protection the same as you do for adults.
Optometric adviser Dr Susan Blakeney at the College of Optometrists, said: “I am shocked to see that so many parents aren’t ensuring that their child’s eyes are protected in the sun, and am equally astounded to see that of those who do, many are opting for ‘cheap and cheerful’ over quality.”
Children with light colored eyes have to be especially careful. Light colored eyes make all people more susceptible to the harm caused by the sun’s UV rays. People with blue eyes are especially urged to always wear sunglasses. Exposure to UV rays can cause major long term damage to your eyes, including damage to the retina as well as the lens. Conditions such as cataracts and macular degeneration are often the result of exposure to UV rays. Protection from these horrible long term effects must start early.
For children who do not wish to wear sunglasses, or infants who tend to pull them off a lot, a wide brimmed sun hat can also be used to protect the eyes. Just make sure the brim provides enough coverage that it shields the eyes. The key thing here is to always protect your children’s eyes. Were talking about long term damage here, and the only way to prevent long term damage is to take short term safeguards.
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