I wrote this review while participating in an influencer campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of HealthyWomen and VISTAKON® Division of Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc. and received a promotional item from Mom Central to thank me for taking the time to participate.
Photo credit: clarita from morguefile.com
Our family spends a LOT of time outside! Having experienced more than my share of sunburns as a child and teen I have always tried to me vigilant with our sunscreen usage. Obviously, there are good health reasons to take care of your largest organ. But how much thought are you putting into your EYE care in the sun?
“Researchers estimate that a significant amount of lifetime exposure to UV rays may occur by age 18 and that children’s annual dose of radiation may be up to three times that of adults.”
Clearly, we need to be thinking about protecting our little ones eyes! But I know it can be hard. The younger they are the harder it can be as they often fight hates and sunglasses. When the boys were younger I love the sunglasses that had the strap in the back because 1, they stayed on better and 2, no pinching their tiny fingers in the the joint of the glasses. But for you and your kids, you want to make sure you have as much protection as possible from harmful UV rays. Try doubling up with hats, sunglasses and for some, UV-blocking contact lenses*.
*although UV-blocking contact lenses are beneficial in helping to protect against harmful UV rays entering into the eye, long-term clinical studies have not been done to show that they directly reduce the risk of any specific eye disease or condition, so be sure to add the protection of UV blocking sunglasses and/or brimmed hats.
Thankfully now that the boys are older, they are used to wearing glasses and will keep hats on without an issue. This makes life a little easier. And since all three wear Rx glasses we decided to get them darkening lenses so they could have Rx sunglasses without the hassle (or expense) of two pairs to switch back and forth between. Since my oldest is already asking about contacts, we’ll be looking into the UV blocking option as well and that would allow him to also wear a good sport sunglasses while he plays. And I’m definitely looking into it for myself, I’ve worn glasses since I was 12 and just recently started wearing contacts much more regularly. Maybe it’s just me but my eyes seem even more sensitive to light with my contacts. So no matter how much my friends tease me about my raccoon eyes (seriously not matter how much I use sunscreen I can’t keep from getting the sunglasses tan lines) I always have my sunglasses on usually past dusk. And if eye health isn’t a strong enough reason for YOU to risk raccoon eyes behind shades, consider what I am always telling my friends. “Yes, I may have raccoon eyes for even a couple weeks, but they WILL fade. But the crows feet I’ll get from squinting into the sun…those will NOT fade!’ I suppose taking the advice to wear a hate in addition to my sunglasses would help eliminate the raccoon eyes issue BUT wearing a brimmed hat doesn’t work well with taking photos. I did this once this season and when it hit my camera I turned it around. In addition to raccoon eyes, I ended up with a half moon shaped tan mark on my forehead courtesy of the open backed hat!
For more information on eye health this summer check out the HealthyWomen.org “Eye Health Center” articles below:
- Protecting Your Eyes from the Sun
- Contact Lenses: Tips for Proper Wear & Care
- The Sun & Your Eyes: What You Need to Know
