76% of adults who own a pair of sunglasses, will wear them most of the time while driving or outside on sunny days (Sweeney Research, 2013). That makes sense, considering Australia has some of the highest levels of UV radiation in the world. Now, we’ve got ourselves covered. But what about our kids?
Children are especially sensitive to UV radiation and eye damage so it’s really important that they wear a sun protective hat combined with sun protective glasses to shield their eyes from the harsh sun. The consequence of children not wearing appropriate eyeware, or not wearing eyeware at all is a cause for concern. UV radiation can cause short-term eye problems, like excessive blinking, swelling, difficulty looking at strong light and even sunburn of the cornea. Prolonged exposure to UV can be much more serious, and cause permanent eye damage such as cataracts, and cancer.
How do you know your kid’s sunnies are doing a good job of protecting their eyes?
According to The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists’ 2018 study on UV Eye Protection: wraparound, close-fitting sunglasses with maximum coverage will provide the best protection. They reduce direct and reflected UV radiation and glare from reaching the eyes, whereas non-wraparound sunglasses aren’t effective in blocking peripheral UV. If your child’s sunglasses do not fit this bill, it’s time to move them on and find a pair that can do the job.
Are you on a fresh search for sunnies? What should you look out for?
The Australian/New Zealand Standard AS/NZS 1067 applies to all sunglasses and spectacles available in Australia. The Standard defines five categories of lenses, according to the amount of UV radiation and visible light that is able to pass through the lens.
The 5 lens category classifications are:
Firstly, fashion spectacles (lens categories 0 and 1) are not sunglasses and don’t provide adequate protection against UV radiation. Check the tag on the glasses and if they’re not categories 2, 3 or 4, continue shopping.
Check the label to determine the level of UV protection provided. Sunglasses may also be labelled UV 400 (which blocks 100% of UV) or state the amount of UV radiation blocked as a percentage. The Standard requires sunglasses claiming a level of UV protection must meet this claim. Remember, the style of the sunglasses should be wraparound and close-fitting on your child’s face.
We know what you must be thinking: how can I stop my kids from losing their sunglasses, let alone get them to wear them regularly?
That’s where we come in with sunnies+, a patented and registered design solution specifically created to solve this problem. This simple genius product permanently attaches to sun smart hats, with patented mechanisms to allow kids to comfortably wear them every day.
Besides meeting Australian standards with our UV400 sun protective lenses, sunnies+ is designed to be worn with, and stored with children’s school hats at all times, so they’ll be seeing the world through safe sunnies in no time!
If you’re looking for a smart solution to a sun smart problem, our unique slide on + stay on sunglasses are just the ticket.
Shop for your kids’ new sunnies+ here.