The reason why children wear children’s sunglasses is that children under 10 years old are at a high risk of skin and eye damage from UVR. The skin on their eyelids and around their eyes is more delicate and vulnerable than adult skin. Until about age 10, the lens of a child's eye is clear, allowing greater solar penetration and in turn greater UVR-induced ocular changes. A pupil of a child is also larger than that of an adult. This also allows more light into the eyes.

So, A child’s eye allows more harmful UV light into the eyes compared to that an adult’s eyes. As they get older, the lens starts to become more opaque, providing better protection. Retinal exposure to UVR is associated with cataracts and macular degeneration, both causes of vision impairment.UVR damage builds over time, so the sooner you start protecting your little one’s eyes from the sun, the lower their risk will be of ever developing future eye problems. While children under 6 months old should never be exposed to the sun, once they reach 6 months, they should wear sunglasses outside.

Whilst it's important to wear sunglasses, they only block out rays that come directly through the lenses. The skin around your little one's eyes is still vulnerable to rays entering through the sides or from the top or reflected upwards off snow, sand, water, etc. Wearing a wide-brimmed hat is a good backup, blocking out many rays from above and even from the sides, whilst also shielding their face and neck. Encourage your little one to seek shade during the sun's most intense hours, 10 am to 4 pm, to help provide another level of protection.

Children under 10 years old are at a high risk of skin and eye damage from UVR.