I wrote this review while participating in an Influencer campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc. and received a promotional item from Mom Central to thank me for participating.
How often do you think about your eyes? If you're not having an issue with them, then the answer to that is most likely, not often. Well, not only do we need to pay more attention to our own eyes, but our children's as well.
My Eyes
About 7 years ago, I had Lasik eye surgery to correct my nearsighted vision. Well, now I have the vision of an eagle, but boy am I light sensitive! About two years ago, the kids and I went camping with a family that we could call our own. We were out in the middle of nowhere with absolutely no cell service. Seriously you had to drive at least an hour to have a single bar of service. So, we ditched all devices and spent all our time enjoying the beautiful land. Adam and I decided to take a canoe out on one of the lakes. Despite me having to do 90 percent of the rowing, we had a great time out there!
Later that evening, we were sitting by the campfire sharing stories and roasting marshmallows. I was mid-sentence of an undoubtedly wonderful anecdote when it felt like someone shot me in the eye with a rubber band. Naturally, I startled and held my hand over my eye. When I took down my hand I was immediately beside myself with confusion because I was seeing double! I could see perfectly fine out of each eye but together the images just didn't match. I was instantly nauseated and terrified. I could walk around only using one eye to see which left me with no depth perception. I was utterly disoriented but above all scared out of mind. I kept looking at my friends and saying “Look at me! Is there something wrong with my eyes?!”
No one saw anything! Being so far from any medical help, I decided to just take an anti-inflammatory and go to sleep. I certainly wasn't able to drive anywhere and it was getting really late. By morning, my vision was back to normal. Needless to say, I was still nervous about what had happened so as soon as we got home I scheduled an appointment with my eye doctor.
He explained that I had strained my eyes terribly by going out on the lake on a sunny day. The sun was shining down from above and reflecting up from below so my eyes were basically getting fried despite the fact that I had on sunglasses. Mind you, these were fashion shades and didn't provide great coverage to begin with. I was probably slightly dehydrated on top of all that too. So one of my eye muscles just sort of fatigued causing the offset images.
Well, now I don't go ANYWHERE without a couple pairs of Sunglasses
Family Eyes
Just because I have suffered a traumatic eye event doesn't mean the whole family doesn't need to be careful. The cumulative damage caused by UV rays can eventually catch up with us all. So, as parents, we owe it to our children to protect their little peepers so that they can have a better chance at lasting eye health. Here's a few things we can use to help protect them:
- Sunglasses
- UV Blocking Contact Lenses
- Broad rimmed hats
- Avoid long periods of time in the sun, especially on water
- Dusk and Dawn are also dangerous sun-exposure times
UV blocking contact lenses can provide an important level of additional protection from UV exposure. Not all contact lenses offer UV protection, and, of those that do, not all provide similar absorption levels. ACUVUE® is the only major brand of contact lenses which blocks approximately 97% of UV-B and 81% of UV-A rays as standard across the entire range of its products.
While I don't wear contacts anymore, my son does and I'm thrilled to know that ACUVUE® is helping out with UV protection without any extra thought required. However, I'm still pushing hats and shades because the whole eye should really be shielded.
Travel
Since kids are out for summer, it's up to us to make sure we stay on top of our kids with sunscreen and eye protection! Add hats and sunglasses to your travel checklist and this goes for winter months too! Sun reflecting off snow can also be very harmful. For more information on keeping our eyes healthy, check out this great resource from ACUVUE®!
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Maryann D. says
Wow that is scary about your eye event. It really is so important to protect our eyes as much as we can. I always try to wear sunglasses and get eye exams each year.
Robin (Masshole Mommy) says
We are total beach bums all summer long and I am soooo bad about wearing sunglasses. I do wear them sometimes, but not as much as I should. Thanks for the reminder.
Shelley says
Another incentive–I don’t know how accurate this is, but it seems logical–by wearing sunglasses, we squint less and therefore have less eye wrinkles! Sounds legit to me! 😉
Janice says
Good post. Many parents never consider sunglasses but only focus on suncreen. Sunglasses are a must!
daisy says
I use Acuvue contact lenses and sunglasses. It’s so important, especially here in Texas, to protect your eyes.
Aimee Smith says
My husband best friend is an optometrist so we are pretty careful with our eyes! I wish my kids would wear their sunglasses!
Chelley @ AisForAdelaide says
I didn’t even know there were UV blocking contacts! I am calling my eye doc right now!
Becky Ryan- Willis says
That had to be scarey. I agree that sunglasses do help to protect our vision. As we know vision is very important. My granddaughter always wants to wear her sun-gagges lol
Pam says
I always try to keep my kids’ skin safe in the summer but I forget about their eyes! UV blocking contacts sounds like something my poor nearsighted husband and daughter need.
Melanie says
Wow I did not know there were UV blocking contacts! I am always wearing sunglasses to protect my eyes.
Amy Desrosiers says
Wow, I had no idea they made UV blocking contact lenses! That is super cool!
Ellen Christian says
I am always telling the kids that they need to wear sunglasses when it’s really sunny out. So glad you are OK!
Mindy Grant says
I started to wear sunglasses regularly last year. I really should have started much earlier. I’ve been trying to get my 1 year old daughter to wear her sunglasses when she plays outside, but she just pulls them off her face. Hopefully if I keep trying, she will eventually leave them on.
Ben says
I always knew sunglasses were great for reducing glare and therefore reducing a certain amount of strain on my eyes. I didn’t know that UV rays were harmful to them, though!
Angela S says
I really need to take better care and wear sunglasses more often when I am outside. This was a real eye opener.
Carlee C says
I live in Florida so sunglasses are a must. My oldest child is red head with light skin and blue eyes and he never leaves home without his glasses.
Janel says
Wow! That’s crazy! I love sunglasses so I don’t have to squint against the sun.
Stacey - Seattle Mom Blog says
UV blocking contact lenses? That is awesome!
Tasha says
What a scary experience that must have been! I have been wearing my sunglasses out a lot more than I have in the past. I wish I would have done it a lot sooner.
Jenn @TheRebelChick says
I have never even thought about sun damage to my eyes! It’s always something new that we are finding out about after it’s too late for us, but at least we can help the kids with all this new knowledge!
Amber Edwards says
My eyes are super sensitive to light now that i have such a high prescription of contacts! I can’t go outside without sunglasses. I have sunglasses for my daughter too, but I’m struggling to find sunglasses that work with my boy’s prescription glasses. 🙁
Laura (Lauras Little House Tips) says
Oh goodness. I am so glad you posted this a dear friend of mine just had Lasik eye surgery and is an avid kayak enthusiast. This is incredibly helpful information. I’m buying her a great set of sunglasses. Sharing with everyone I know ..I know many forget to protect our eyes and after all they are our window to the world. Thank you for sharing 🙂
Ann BAcciaglia says
It is so important to protect your eyes. My kids have blue eyes and I am always telling them to wear sunglasses.
brett says
i wonder if my hubby knows about the UV blocking contact lenses. he is super photosensitive and always has been, and i am sure he’d love to try these. eye stuff is so scary
Kathleen Garber says
Wow I didn’t know sunglasses were really that important. I never wear them but then again, since I wear regular prescription glasses, it’s not as easy as just putting any old pair on.
Liz Mays says
That would have been a really scary experience! I’m glad it was temporary, but I would have bought better protection too!
Debi says
I am learning just how important this is. I never even knew it was an issue before.
valmg @ Mom Knows It All says
I have worn contacts for much of my life. I don’t know how it is but I never even knew some contacts had UV protection until now.
Mama to 5 BLessings says
wow this is super scary! I cannot get my kids to leave hats or sunglasses on, I wish there was a better solution!
Marina says
We really do take protection for granted. It really is important to protect one’s eyes esp with the crazy sun glares.
April Farley says
This was an excellent piece. Packed with information that I did not know. Thank you for talking about a subject that is not broached often.
Ari T. says
That’s scary! I’ve had sensitive eyes since I was young and I guess for good reason. I didn’t realize that eye strain could be caused even when not directly looking at the sun or even having sunglasses on. It’s good to be aware of these dangers. Glad your eye issue didn’t cause irreversible damage!