Babiators - sunglasses for children

We see a lot of kids at our Vancouver eye clinic. One important aspect of children's eye care is protecting young eyes from the sun. The eyes of children are much more vulnerable to damage from UV rays. The lenses in their eyes do not block as much UV radiation as in adults. Follow the same precautions as you would for an adult, but be sure to choose sunglasses that fit their smaller faces, have impact-resistant lenses, and have lenses large enough to shield the entire eye.

According to a new report issued by The Vision Council in May 2012, parents protect own eyes from the sun better than they protect their kids eyes. The report shows that while 73% of adults do wear sunglasses, only 58% of them make their children wear sunglasses.

Parents may hold back on sunglasses for their kids because of cost or because kids are rough and forgetful with their eye wear resulting in lost or broken sunglasses. To fix this problem, we have begun carrying Babiators kids' sunglasses. The photo above is Dr. Randhawa's daughter wearing her new Babiators in the park. Babiators have a great guarantee to replace lost or broken sunglasses within one year, as long as you register your new pair of Babiators online.

Here is the guarantee straight from their website:


Babiators are durable — made to withstand whatever adventure your child dreams up. We know life can be a bit unpredictable, so should you lose or break your Babiators within one year of purchase, we'll send you a replacement pair — free. Simply register for your Lost & Found Guarantee within 30 days of purchase, and you're all set.register here

UV exposure over time causes eye disease and vision loss

The Vision Council report suggests that too many people still do not understand the serious damage that UV exposure can have on your eyes. Even fewer realize that it is cumulative exposure over time – which happens on both sunny and cloudy days – that leads to vision threatening diseases. One such disease, macular degeneration, leads to permanent vision loss and their is no cure.

The solution is to wear sunglasses and regular eye glasses with proper UV protection. Kids need this more than adults because the lens of a child’s eye is not as good as blocking UV rays as the lens of an adult eye. 

What cataracts and macular degeneration look like

Wearing sunglasses is a serious preventative health measure. Here is what macular degeneration can do to your vision:



UV damage also causes cataracts. Here is what cataracts can do to your vision:

What is the best eyewear for kids? It's what eye doctors choose for their own kids.

Our sister blog, KidsVision.ca asks, "What is the best eyewear for kids?"  The eye wear that eye doctors choose for their own children  reflects a doctor's concern for health, safety and effective vision correction.  Find out what eye doctors choose for their own kids. Read more...

The hottest trends in eye-wear for spring 2012

The hottest eye wear trends for spring 2012 according to www.eyecessorize.com  (and we agree, by the way) are frames with graphic and apparel inspired prints and patterns; round, cat-eye or angular frames and shields; bold brow bars, leather detailing and two-toned styles.  Here are some examples.

 

Most of the leading designers like Armani, Gucci and Boss have styles like these in their current lines. 

What can we expect in the future of eye-wear? Our prediction is that the current king of eye-wear style, geek chic, like these frames sported by Anne Hathaway:

will give way (in a year or two) to a rounder, more retro look that is just starting to infiltrate the eye wear scene - like these frames worn by Johnny Depp:

Research shows that half the eyeglasses bought online are junk

Researchers from Pacific University published a  study in 2011 that tested glasses purchased on-line for compliance of optical and safety requirements. Of the 154 pairs of glasses purchased from the top ten U.S. online spectacle vendors, almost half of them failed at least one parameter of testing.

Staff at my clinic have reported many people comming in with glasses bought online that have numerous problems. 


Some are funny, like the kids who walk in with glasses that are way to big for them.  Their parents want them adjusted so that they fit properly but that is not possible since the frames so big should never be sold to a child.  It is often no consolation that in 5 or 6 years the child may grow into the giant frames. 


Others have headaches from lenses that do not align properly with their eyes.  Some people have progressives that are unusable because no one explained to them the best lens choice for their vision and lifestyle.  The list goes on.