Recently I have been more aware of the harmful effects of the sun’s rays on our eyes. My friend Haley over at ClimbRunLiftMom, was diagnosed with UV Keratitis after a long day climbing at high elevation (and around snow). The sun actually burned her corneas! And she had sunglasses on, albeit cheap ones from the gas station. But it got me thinking. My husband and I toss around different sunglasses all the time, some higher quality than others….but my kids? I hardly ever make them wear sunglasses and the only ones we have are of the cheaper gas-station variety. Hmmm. Maybe I should put some more thought into my kid’s eye protection.

So today we are welcoming a guest post and photo contest giveaway from Tyler Tebbs, owner of Excursion Outiftters LLC. Don’t forget to check out the giveaway details below for your chance to win a pair of Julbo Toddler sunglasses!

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Children Are Exposed To UV Rays More Frequently

Protecting your child’s eyes with good sunglasses could save them from a lifetime of problems later in life. Children spend more time outdoors than adults, thus putting them at a greater risk to harmful effects of UV rays. Studies have discovered that people receive 80% of their lifetime exposure to UV rays before they reach the age of 18.

Infant’s Eyes Are More Sensitive To Light

Children’s eyes are more sensitive than adults. Children don’t have the same ability to protect themselves from the harmful effects of UV rays. Their eyes are more transparent which allows a shorter wavelength of light to reach their retina. If this occurs over a long period of time, their eye sight can be affected.

Diseases Can Occur

Some diseases occur more frequently in adulthood as a result of parent’s neglecting the dangers that UV rays pose on their children. Skin cancer around the eyes as well as macular degeneration and cataracts are some of the issues that become prevalent.

Children Need Regular Check-ups

When you have a newborn you should have a family physician or pediatrician in the hospital nursery do a general eye health check. Your child should also receive regular eye screens within their first year during their checkups. By the age of three your child should begin visual tests that measure their sharpness of vision accompanied by eye health screenings. By the time your child reaches the age of 5 you should have their vision and eye alignment evaluated. If they fail any tests then further examination is highly recommended. If these eye problems can be detected and treated when they are young, they are much more likely to have a full recovery.

 Added Precautions

• Apply specialized sun block around the eyes. The skin around the perimeter of the eyes is both thin and sensitive, creating a very prone area for sunburns. Many sun block crèmes warn against applying near the eyes since sun block can irritate the eyes if the sun block comes in to direct contact. In order to avoid this hazard, a sun block stick which is specifically formulated for infants is recommended.

• Insist that your child wears sunglasses. Not all sunglasses are created equal. Some lenses will protect against certain types of UV rays but not all of them. You want to make sure that the sunglasses you give your children protect against all the different types of harmful rays. There are several great companies that design sunglasses for toddlers. I recommend the Julbo Looping 3 sunglasses. These sunglasses have reversible frame so your child won’t have a hard time putting them on. They also have no hinges so your child won’t cut his face. The frame swings wide of the temple in order to give the child a comfortable fit. They of course also protect against any threatening UV rays.

• Insist on safety goggles for sports. Undoubtedly your child will resist wearing safety glasses as they grow older, but when young they will generally wear them. If you can find a “cool” design, they may even want to wear them. These early years are the most critical for your children to wear safety goggles. Children lack the necessary coordination to properly protect their eyes. Safety goggles can prevent against a lot of heart ache if a tragic accident did occur.

Photo Contest Giveaway!!

Win a pair of the Julbo Looping 3 kid’s sunglasses from Excursion Outfitters by submitting a picture of your toddler enjoying the outdoors! Visit the Excursion Outfitters Photo Contest Page for the full details!