Its very clear that ultraviolet rays are harmful; its something we all already know about, and [hopefully] do what we can to protect ourselves, and our loved ones, at all times. However, it isnt always discussed the exact impact these dangerous rays have on our children - particularly babies. When our children are at their youngest, they are at their most vulnerable in terms of development stages. However, while we tend to consider UV rays affecting our younger childrens skin, we dont necessarily often think about their eyes. This is a mistake. As we will get further into in a bit, children are at a much higher risk of UV damage than adults, and its imperative that we halt any possible damage at the earliest chance possible!

According to the World Health Organization (or WHO), an average child below the age of eighteen actually receives up to eighty percent of UV exposure that he/she will obtain within their whole lives. How is this so? Well as most of us can attest to, children typically spend much more time outside; therefore they are far more sensitive, and affected by the harmful ultraviolet rays. Furthermore, besides the simple fact that kids usually have a higher rate of exposure than adults, according to the American Optometric Association, they are actually more susceptible to optical damage due to UV rays. Young childrens eyes are more transparent, allowing a higher rate of short wavelength rays to reach into their retina, asserting more damage. Now that you can see just the impact these harmful UV rays can have on your young kids eyes, be sure to take the necessary precautions.

You wouldnt usually go outside on a sunny day without your own sunglasses, right? One great way to help you remember to shield your kids eyes from the sun is to think of this for yourself! If youre only wearing your sunglasses on extremely sunny days, just think of the amount of times your baby needs protection on days that arent even extremely sunny!

Do you think eye protection for your kids only involves being indoors all of the time? Think again! Just like you should be wearing your favorite sunglasses, the best option you should look into for your little ones are also some sunnies! If youre able to, invest in some shaded glasses frames for your young children and even babies. Youll make such a large difference on the future of their eyes. You might be thinking to yourself How could I possibly physically put sunglasses on a baby? There are actually very handy wraparound baby shades, specifically structured to work for their little heads. Its crucial, when determining which glasses to get your baby, make sure that the lenses of the eye glasses are impact resistant - like polycarbonate, never glass.