Are sunglasses necessary for a baby?

It's now accepted that wearing sunglasses is essential to protect your eyes from the sun, almost all year round.
And babies' eyes also need to be well protected from the sun's harmful effects.
So it's important to fit your baby with a good pair of age-appropriate sunglasses.

Why it's essential for baby to wear sunglasses

When babies come into the world, their eyes are not yet fully developed.
Their eyes are therefore even more fragile than adults', and need to be protected as much as possible.
Up until the age of one, a baby's eyes are indeed very vulnerable to the various UV rays - UVA and UVB.
This first period of life corresponds to the development of the child's vision, which will continue until the age of six.
The crystalline lens in the eye is not yet fully mature and cannot properly protect the retina.
As a result, babies' eyes are not able to filter out all the ultraviolet rays to which they are exposed.
If babies are exposed to a lot of sun without protection, this can be harmful to their eye health.
Even if you want to protect your baby's eyes from birth, in reality this is only possible from the age of six months.
The high vulnerability of babies' eyes means that they need to be very well protected.
However, this sun protection must be done properly, by choosing the right pair of sunglasses for their age.

How to choose sunglasses for your baby

When choosing a pair of sunglasses for your baby, take a number of criteria into account.
The first is to choose lenses with a high level of sun protection, i.e. level 3 or even 4.
These are the highest categories of protection since they filter out the vast majority of UV rays.
It's also essential to check that the sunglass lenses are high, as babies often look upwards.
They should preferably be made of polycarbonate, to make them as light as possible and as comfortable as possible.
The frame should also be made of this type of material to withstand the impact of a fall when the baby removes his glasses.
The material chosen for the pair of sunglasses must also be hypoallergenic to prevent friction irritating baby's fragile skin.
The frame must also fit snugly around the baby's face to prevent it from falling out.
The temples should preferably be flexible or in the form of an elastic headband.
As well, the nose bridge should be made of silicone to prevent the sunglasses from slipping forward.
The specific morphology of a baby's face needs to be taken into account to ensure that the right sunglasses are chosen.
Finally, the pair can be fitted with a clip to prevent them from falling to the ground as baby moves around.
Don't hesitate to ask your Optical Center optician for more advice on choosing the right pair of sunglasses for your baby.