"Hey bright eyes", "eyes are the window to the soul", or my favorite, "pretty brown eyes".  These sayings or what is called in Spanish "idioms", most of us have heard throughout our life.  However relevant these statements might be, what is important to take away is the the effort and care put into make these sayings true. We can take care of our bodies externally by way of fitness, we can take care of our bodies internally by way of cleansing or fasting. However, what about taking care of one of the most important things on our bodies, our ability to see via our eyes? I don't think much thought nor concern is taken into consideration when it comes to the idea of eye health because I am not sure people realize that such a thing exist nor how easy it is to get into the routine of doing.  Remember prevention is the key, not reaction. If we take the time to spend money on an endless number of eye creams, sunscreen, facial treatments, etc... why not take less time for preventative care for our eyes? by doing a few simple steps, it can eradicate a multitude of internal and external eye issues to come. Well I posed the same question to myself and discovered some very helpful information and easy tips to apply to myself as well as my 3yr old daughter. Eye health is for the entire family! According to Dr. Dora Adamopoulos, a leading Optometrist in her field and a medical adviser to the Vision Council, she emphasizes the importance in getting into the habit of protecting adults eyes as well as children simply by wearing sunglasses to protect the eyes from harmful UV rays. I told you real simple and easy preventive steps right! who knew that sunglasses were more than just a fashion statement.

By simply getting into the habit of making it an essential step apart of your families health routine to wearing sunglasses whether its sunny or not, can eradicate, nor ever evolve into eye health issues such as

•   Sunburned eyes. A little over half of the American population spends time outdoors from 2pm-6pm, during the highest UV exposure peak time. Eyes are most at exposure from early in the morning during 8am-10am and mid-day during park time for kids, after work/school, 2pm-4pm.
• Cataracts. Constant sun damage and exposed eyes can and is one of the leading causes of cataracts later on in life and in some cases has happened as early as middle age rather than older age. 
• Children's eyes are more vulnerable to the sun than Adults. 33.7% of parents with children under the age of 13 say their kids never or rarely wear sunglasses. This is very dangerous and risky seeing as children receive 3X the amount of harmful UV rays because their eyes are still in the development stage as they are growing. They have not grown certain internal protectors as yet, especially babies/toddlers, and are at risk for developing larger pupils and vision damage in the future.
• Age-related macular degeneration is the leading cause of vision loss in people over the age of 60.  However if eyes are continuously exposed to risky elements such as sun damage this can occur a lot earlier in life and be a contributor to developing the disease from an earlier stage in life.

So as you can "see" sunglasses are a top option for UV protection. When shopping for sunglasses for yourself and your young ones, besides style and comfort, what you really want to be looking for is a little sticker that is usually on the front of the lenses that says UVA/UVB protection. It should be on Adult glasses as well as children. I understand with children, especially babies/toddlers, having them keep anything on their faces is a chore in itself. However with much reasoning, consistency,  getting them into the habit, and making it apart of their daily routine, especially in the summer, they will come around and be disciplined that this is something they are supposed to do! It's so cute because when we leave the house, my daughter is always telling me, "mom don't forget my sunglasses".  A couple of websites I usually shop on where I find good brands for my daughter's glasses are: www.diapers.com or Amazon.

I was very excited to receive my Sun safe Swag bag from the Vision Council and got to rock these cool, stylish shades by Guess with tortise/gold trimming on the side. What was even cooler was that my little princess received a pair of hot pink and diamond trimmed sunglasses as well! So chic, so cute, and her little precious eyes are being protected. "Protecting our eyes is often out of sight, out of mind but the same UV exposure that causes sunburns, wrinkles, and skin cancer also damages our ocular health" cited by the Vision Council.  For more information on the risk of consistent sun damage, exposure, etc... please visit the Vision Council website: www.thevisioncouncil.org.
Check out some candid pics below of me and the little one styling and profiling with our new shades and practicing good eye health!