Why Do Children Need Sunglasses?

When infants emerge from the womb their eyes look small, dark and puffy. The eyeball itself is about 75% the size of an adult eyeball, but will reach full size by the time the child is three years old. The conjunctive (or white) of the infants eye will appear bluish and the iris can be black, grey or blue. An infant's vision is very limited and sensitive to harmful ultra violet rays. Although their eyes are not yet sensitive to light, the UV rays can still do damage. Let's take a look at eye health in children and the necessity of sunglasses.

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cannot focus or even coordinate the movement of both eyes together for two to six weeks after birth. Even then, the ability to focus is limited to distant objects. They do not see color until about four weeks, and then only bright colors like red and orange. By four months of age the child's eyes will be moving in alignment with each other and be able to develop three-dimensional vision. The sharpness of vision is still poor, but by age two it should improve to 20/20. Children's vision is at its best at age three, but studies show that over the next fifteen years of an average child's life is when the most UV damage takes place. UV radiation from sunlight has been shown to cause a multitude of age-related eye problems later in life. Cataracts, macular degeneration, pingueculae growths and even skin cancer on the skin around the eyes are just a few maladies associated with UV exposure. Protecting your child's eyes with good quality sunglasses will not only help keep their eyesight at its best (depending on genetic factors), but it will also help prevent eye problems later in life.

There are so many cute styles of children's sunglasses available, some with branded characters and even some designed by high end design houses like Chanel or Louis Vutton. However there are also hundreds of knock-off styles for sale at dollar stores that are pleasing to the child in terms of color and style. The price may be pleasing for parents, but beware of these cheap imitations. Often the frames are painted with lead based materials, which can be very harmful to your child's health.

Some of the recommended features for children's sunglasses are as follows:

5 100% UVA and UVB protection

6 Impact resistant lenses

7 Unbreakable frame construction and material

8 Large frames that fit closely to the face

9 Spring hinges that will adjust with the child's head size

10 Neck strap

Children are active, far more than adults sometimes, so impact resistant lenses and nearly unbreakable frames are a necessity for safety and longevity of the sunglasses themselves. A foam stretchy neck strap that attaches at the end of each arm of the glasses will help prevent loss. A large frame style will shade more light from the child's eyes and spring hinges help the glasses stay on the child's head when they are active.

Sunglasses are necessary for children, even from birth. Not only do they protect the eyes from debris and injury, but they help prevent age-related eye diseases later in life. You do not need to get designer sunglasses for your child and pay a lot of money; you just need to find a middle ground between cheap and expensive.