19-06-2025
The symbol you should always look for on kids' sunglasses
We all know the importance of protecting our children's eyes from the sun's rays, particularly on sunny days. But a disturbing new report has found some kids' sunglasses bought online do not meet UK safety standards.
The investigation by consumer champion Which?, found that a third of children's sunglasses purchased from online marketplaces, including Amazon, eBay, AliExpress and Temu, were unsafe to wear.
Researchers bought 20 pairs of sunglasses from six e-commerce marketplaces and put them through lab tests. They found that two pairs of the glasses let in too much ultraviolet light (UV), five pairs had different levels of UV protection on each lens, and all of the pairs were missing key information, labels and markings required for them to be legally sold in the UK.
The unsafe sunglasses have since been removed from the online platforms.
Calling for stricter safety regulations for online marketplaces under the government's Product Regulation and Metrology Bill, Which? director of policy and advocacy Rocio Concha said: "Our research shows many of these models are so ineffective as to be dangerous for children to wear and this is a consequence of online marketplaces having no real responsibility or incentive for taking safety seriously."
So if you're buying sunglasses for your children, what should you be looking for to ensure they protect their eyes and meet UK safety standards? Denise Voon, clinical adviser at The College of Optometrists explains.
"A lot of parents are aware that in order to protect their children's skin from the sun, they need to put sunscreen on, and it's exactly the same for eyes," Voon tells Yahoo UK.
"Protecting your eyes with sunglasses is really important. Prolonged exposure, even to small amounts of UV, can cause eye conditions such as cataracts in later life, and there's emerging evidence to say that it can cause macular degeneration as well."
Wearing sunglasses is particularly important for children, she adds. "Their pupils tend to be bigger and the lens inside their eyes tend to be clearer. So if an adult and a child stood outside, the child would probably get more UV to the back of their eyes."
Sunlight can also cause short-term problems, such as temporary but painful burns to the surface of the eye, according to the NHS.
Any sunglasses sold in the UK should have either a CE mark or a UKCA mark, some will have both. A CE mark shows they meet all the legal health and safety requirements to be sold in the European Union, while a UKCA mark shows they meet the requirements to be sold in the UK. These marks will be on the inside arms of the glasses.
If sunglasses don't show one of these marks, Voon says to avoid them.
Which? also advises looking for glasses with UV400 protection, which blocks out almost 100% of UV rays, and choosing category 3 lenses. Category 3 is the most common type in the UK and is for use on bright days. If you're going skiing, choose category 4. You'll find the category number marked on the inside of the sunglasses arm.
"It is quite a common misconception that the darker the lenses, the more protection they offer but that's not actually true," explains Voon. "You can get all different colours and lighter and darker tints but, as long as they bear a safety mark, the best choice is whatever suits your child."
Getting the fit of sunglasses right is particularly important for children as, if they're uncomfortable or too tight, they won't want to wear them. Voon also advises against sunglasses that are too big.
"If they're too big, they'll let in a lot of sun round the sides," she says. "And if they're too wide and they slip down, they're not going to be helping much at all.
"If your child is spending a lot of time outdoors, you might wish to consider a more wraparound-style frame that offers slightly more protection. But the important thing is getting something that your children want to wear and that fit."
When it comes to choosing sunglasses for your child, Voon says an optometrists is a good place to start.
"If you're worried about your children's eyes or want advice about sun protection or how sunglasses fit, an optometrist will be able to advise," she says. But she adds that you don't need to spend a lot of money to get appropriate glasses.
"When we've been caught out, we've actually just bought sunglasses at seaside shops and as long as they have the appropriate markings, they don't have to be expensive."
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