While our European cousins wouldn’t let their children leave home without high-quality UV eye protection, we Brits are more likely to see sunglasses as a cutesy fashion item – a last minute purchase as we head to sunnier shores.
And yet, say experts, up to 80% of our lifetime exposure to the sun’s rays takes place before we turn 18. Natasha Wood, Dispensing Optician at Focalpoint Opticians in Barnes, goes further still: most of the long-term damage that leads to macular degeneration and blindness in later life happens before the age of 7 or 8, she warns.
Here she offers some important tips on what to look out for when buying sunglasses for kids...
- Get them correctly fitted. Lots of kids sunglasses are just big people’s made smaller. If they don’t fit well, light can come in from above and below, particularly around water when the light is reflected. Sporty wrap-around styles tend to be best for coverage.
- Check for CE mark. All glasses sold in the EU have to display a CE mark, which guarantees UV protection. Not so elsewhere, where cheap fashion styles may have a dark tint but no UV blocker, particularly hazardous as the tint opens up the pupil.
- Go for UV 400. The CE mark guarantees that lenses will block 95% of UV, but for full protection from the most dangerous rays you need a UV 400 lens, providing 100% cover. Most opticians put a UV 400 coating on all prescription sunglasses for children.
- Choose a dark tint. Tints are scaled 0-4, for kids you need a Cat 3 or 4 – (you can usually find the Cat mark on the arm).
- Choose easy-to-wear, robust brands. One popular brand is reversible – they go on upside down as well.
For more ideas on handling the kids during the fast approaching holidays, see our Family section where you can find other additions like ideas for activities that don't break the bank.
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