Optometrists push ‘no sunnies, no play’ policy

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

NEARLY half of Gisborne children do not wear sunglasses often enough.

New research shows that 51 percent of Te Tairāwhiti children under the age of 16 are not protecting their eyes in summer.

Gisborne optometrist Nick Whittingham is urging parents and caregivers to adopt a “no sunnies, no play” rule.

The research, commissioned by Specsavers, revealed that 100 percent of Tairāwhiti children own a pair of sunglasses, but only 49 percent consistently use them in summer.

Slightly more than one in 10 parents in Gisborne, 16 percent, did not realise children's eyes were at more risk from UV exposure than adults eyes, and 35 percent believed that a hat was enough protection from the sun.

With summer now well under way, Mr Whittingham is warning that children can absorb more UV into their eyes because their pupils are larger and the lens of the eyes are clearer.

Studies have shown, however, that wearing sunglasses and a wide-brimmed hat can reduce UV exposure by as much as 90 percent.

Mr Whittingham believes that setting children up when they are younger can protect their eyes later on.

“New Zealand has one of the highest levels of UV in the world, so it is critical to encourage children to be sun safe and instil good behaviours when they're younger so they set themselves up for life.

“Long-term exposure to UV can lead to sight-threatening conditions such as macular degeneration, or even cancer.”

Nationally, for children under the age of 10, the main barriers to consistent sunglass wearing, according to parents, were parents/child forgetting (34 percent), child finding them uncomfortable (32 percent), and kids always taking them off (31 percent).

For older kids between 10 and 16, forgetting to put them on was the main barrier (37 percent).

“I understand how difficult it can be to get kids to wear, and keep wearing, their sunglasses, so having a simple ‘no sunnies, no play' rule helps kids to know they can't go outside without their sunglasses,” Mr Whittingham says.

“Getting them into the habit of grabbing their sunnies whenever they leave the house is really important.”

This includes remembering sunnies not only in well-known high-sun exposure environments like the beach, but also during more incidental times, like in the car, when just 37 percent in the region said their child would always be wearing their sunglasses, and when walking to school, when 38 percent would always wear them.

Mr Whittingham says that while summer is a great time to remind parents and children of the importance of wearing sunglasses, UV is present year-round and not just on blue-sky days.

“We all need to be aware of UV, even when we are only spending a short time outside.

“The most important thing is to slip, slop, slap, seek and wrap.

“When you're outside, slip on sun protective clothing, slop on SPF 30 or higher sunscreen, slap on a hat, seek shade and wrap on sunglasses that provide UV protection.”

Specsavers optometrists are encouraging all Kiwis to be sun smart this summer, and to visit an optometrist for a routine eye test or if they have any eye-related concerns.

At Specsavers, kids go free, with a free eye test every two years for children under the age of 16.