When they are growing, babies are very vulnerable to sunlight. This is because the lens that filters the radiation entering the eye is not yet fully developed, and in babies, allows in over 90% of UVA rays and 50% of UVB rays. These figures are extremely high, especially when compared to a 12 year old child, where the figures drop to 60% and 25% respectively.
In addition to the lens letting in more light, babies also have larger pupils than adults, which means they let in more sunlight which increases the damaging effects of the sun on their eyes. Therefore, sunglasses for babies are extremely important to protect their vulnerable eyes - after all, there is no way of knowing how much damage the sun is causing them, which may lead to complications in later life.
Another reason why sunglasses for babies are important is because they protect their eyes against foreign bodies. This includes sand on a windy day at the beach, dust, pollution particles, flies, and all the little things that babies are in constant contact with.
Of course, sunglasses for babies are not for fashion reasons, and they need to be specifically made for them. Babies love putting things in their mouth, and there is a high chance that at some point they may want to give their sunglasses a chew, therefore it is important they are made from non-toxic materials.
Secondly, it is also important that sunglasses for babies have a durable design as they are likely to be dropped occasionally. For this reason, rubber glasses are the most common. Some also include a rubber strap that prevents them from falling off, and also prevents foreign bodies entering the eyes at all, as they are essentially designed like goggles (below).
Although they are definitely not fashion accessories, they certainly look very cute!
