Parents who consider children's protective eyewear as just another fashion accessory should be aware that children generally get a lot more exposure to the sun than do adults, and that protecting your child's sight should be as top of the mind as protecting their skin.
Internationally and in South Africa there is a growing awareness of the harmful effects of exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) due to the ever increasing "hole" in the earth's protective ozone layer.
Recently the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration announced that the "hole" in the ozone layer currently measures a record high of 27,5 million square kilometres (an area equivalent to the size of North America).
Parents need to know that children's eyes are different from adult eyes because developing lenses are more vulnerable to UVR.
"The fact that children spend a greater amount of time outside than adults, receiving three times more sun exposure, emphasises how vital it is to deal with the negative effects of UVR", explains Susan Stenson, managing director and global medical director of Transitions Optical. Exacerbating this problem is that 80 percent of lifetime UVR exposure occurs before the age of 18.
Exposure to UV light increases the risk of cataracts (the clouding of the lens), pinguecula (the thickening of the white of the eye) and pterygium (a growth over the surface of the cornea). Pupils in children's eyes are bigger than in adult's eyes so that the light gets in more easily and at deeper levels increasing the amount of damage.
If children's eyes are not properly protected, exposure to the sun's damaging invisible rays can speed up the ageing and deterioration of the eye and may lead to cataracts later in life.
When buying sunglasses the lenses must offer complete UV protection and don't ever allow your children to wear toy sunglasses. This is important as some dark glasses may still allow UV rays to enter the eye and can be more harmful than wearing no glasses at all, because they cause the pupil of the eye to dilate, allowing more rays to enter.
If your child wears spectacles, lenses known as variable-tints automatically adjust to levels of UV light they are exposed to. Going from clear indoors to dark outdoors in the sun, in seconds, they block 100 percent of dangerous UVA and UVB rays, keeping the eye constantly protected, whilst helping to protect from glare and eye fatigue as well.
Wearing variable-tint lenses also gives you the added convenience factor of not having to constantly juggle your child's specs and their sunglasses, whilst moving indoors and out.
"Parents don't think twice about putting sun cream on their children to protect their skin but don't think to protect their eyes," says Richard Pearson of Transitions Optical South Africa. "It is vital for parents to be aware of the suns dangers and that sunglasses aren't just another fashion accessory but rather a necessity in protecting our eyes."
- For more information, visit www.healthysightforlife.org