Every year, 100,000 people suffer from a sports eye injury, of which 42,000 require hospital attention and 13,500 lead to blindness, Eye Smart reports. Of these injuries, one in three of happen to children and 90 percent are preventable! So, why such high numbers of sports-related eye injuries? Simply because kids are not wearing adequate eye protection.
As we are in the peak of spring sports season and summer sports camps right around the corner, it’s time to explore a few ways you can make sure your kids have proper protective eyewear for all sports and activities they participate in.
What to Look for in Eyewear
Different sports have different needs, Prevent Blindness explains. While a sports eye guard is suitable for any sport without specified eye protection, like basketball, baseball, soccer, hockey, and football, you may prefer for your child to use a face guard for baseball, a polycarbonate or wire mask for hockey, or a polycarbonate shield attached to a face guard for football. Whatever you choose, make sure the eyewear is tested to meet American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards. In addition, always choose polycarbonate as it is 10 times more impact resistant than any other material.
Real Kids’ Safety Features
At Real Kids, we keep active kids in mind as we design our sunglasses in order to provide parents with an option that protects their kids’ eyes from UV rays and injuries. Our Bolt, Blaze, Storm and Blade shades are particularly suited for playing sports, but all our sunglasses feature impact-resistant polycarbonate lenses that a shatterproof and scratch resistant. Our shades also come with Flex-Fit® frames made from a TPEE polymer – a material that can withstand bending, twisting, and anything else your child (or their sport) inflicts on the sunglasses, after which they bounce right back into shape.
Some of our shades are available with P2 Lens Technology, which adds polarization to the polycarbonate lenses to reduce glare, increase protection, and make seeing easier when playing sports.
Visit our website to learn more about our products and find the right quality sunglasses for kids’ sports and activities this spring.