My daughter loves wearing sunglasses. My son on the other hand not so much.

Living and growing up in Southern California, sunglasses are a staple for me. I don’t leave home without them and I always have an extra pair in my car. I think for most of us they are almost a necessity with driving and living an outdoor lifestyle. I am always diligent about making sure to use my sunglasses but I have to admit that have not been very diligent about making sure my children wear their sunglasses. In a recent survey of 10,000 U.S. adults, 73 percent of parents wear sunglasses to protect their eyes from ultraviolet radiation, while only 58 percent have their children wear sunglasses. I admit, I am one of the 42 percent that has been a little careless about establishing good vision habits.

I recently had an opportunity to participate in a great discussion about the importance of vision health and eye safety, especially when it comes to the little ones.  Did you know  that children receive three times the annual sun exposure of adults, and they have an immature lens, which makes them especially susceptible to UV-related damage. UV exposure at any age can cause both short and long term vision problems – many of which can’t be reversed. I have to be honest that before the discussion I had not given much thought to the dangers of UV rays exposure does to the little eyes.

One important thing we can do to help protect our kiddos is buying UV-protective sunglasses from a reputable retailer, and of course making sure we use them!  To determine if your sunglasses are reliable, look for a little sticker or tag on the lens that shows compliance with criteria set by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). The label “UV 380″ covers all UVA and UVB rays.

We are going sunglass shopping for my son this weekend. My daughter has a great pair of glasses that she wears whenever she’s out. She loves the look of sunglasses since she is such a girly girl, but with my son it always hasn’t been easy. So this weekend I set up a time to head over to the mall and find a great pair of sunglasses that he will like and wear. I figure the best way to make sure to do that is by allowing him to pick his own pair out. We can also be great examples by making sure we always wear our own pair.

To learn more about sunglasses and finding the perfect pair head here.

Disclosure: This is part of a compensated post with the Motherhood. However, all opinions are my own.