Calls for Protective Sunglasses at School to be Compulsory
Schools around Australia have long enforced the rule that kids must wear a hat when outside. It’s a no-brainer: UV rays in our country are known to be at dangerous levels, causing skin damage and often leading to cancer later in life.
But what are these damaging UV rays doing to our kids’ eye health?
Studies show that an alarming percentage of children already show signs of eye damage from the sun. Dr Shanel Sharma found in her research that 29 per cent of children aged 9 to 11 already had eye damage from the sun. This figure reached 81 per cent in kids between ages 12 to 15.
These figures are alarming to say the least. And now, schools are starting to take notice.
Protective sunglasses at school – should they be part of the school uniform?
If you ask an Ophthalmologist, the answer is – ABSOLUTELY!
A child’s eyes are still developing. They do not yet have the full protective defences that an adult’s eyes have. The younger the child, the more vulnerable their eyes are to sun damage.
This early damage can lead to vision impairment and blindness later in life, not to mention serious eye diseases and degenerative conditions.
We see so many kids and adults in clinic suffering from conditions that could have been prevented just by wearing the right protective sunglasses.
We strongly recommend that as a parent, you discuss with your child’s school the benefits of making protective sunglasses a required part of the school uniform.
Schools are taking notice about kids’ eye health
Slowly but surely, Australian schools are beginning to introduce protective sunglasses into the school culture, either by encouraging parents to buy them for their child, stocking a range in the school uniform shop or making them compulsory.
This school in Kingsgrove takes its students’ eye health seriously. While sunnies are not compulsory, the school stocks a range of quality protective sunglasses that parents can buy to protect their kids while they’re playing outdoors.
If you’re serious about preventing sun damage to your children’s eyes, make sure the eyewear you provide for them features:
- A wraparound frame, so light can’t get in from the sides
- UV400 lenses for maximum UVA and UVB protection
- Coated lenses so reflected light can pass out through the glasses, not bounce back into the eye
- Lenses that filter out polarised light.
Only Beamers sunglasses with Optoshield™ Technology combine all 4 safety features.
How to get protective sunglasses for your school
If you would like your school to stock Beamers sunglasses and be listed on our stockists page, contact us about ordering wholesale.