Simon Jones: Parental protection

Two weeks touring Scotland in glorious sunshine might sound far-fetched, but that’s what I’ve been doing for the past couple of weeks. On our travels, I noticed an almost scant disregard for protecting children’s eyes with sunglasses. 

As we moved from one location to another, children wearing sunglasses became a rare sight. Instead, baseball caps and bucket hats were the order of the day. These are, of course, fine to an extent, but they don’t remain on the heads of young children for very long, be it due to high jinks or a stiff Scottish breeze.

Protecting a child’s skin has been higher up the health messaging agenda for many years, but the importance of eye protection seems to be missing the mark. As a sector, we’re all too familiar with statistics like 80% of UV damage happening before a child reaches the age of 18 and the increased risk of damage as their eyes let in 70% more light compared to adults. Sadly, parents don’t always have the same appreciation or awareness.