Harlem Lovebirds: Celebrating #NationalSunglassesDay with The Vision Council

Disclosure: I received promotional items from The Vision Council to facilitate this post; all opinions expressed are my own.

One of my favorite things about summer is wearing sunglasses: I like to coordinate them with my outfits, but I also have quite a knack for losing them as I've shared before! Beyond making a fashion statement, it's also important for me to take good care of my eyes. I'm nearsighted and have a history of glaucoma in my family so I try my best to stay on top of my eye health.

With the celebration of National Sunglasses Day on June 27th, I partnered with The Vision Council to share with you some important tips to keep in mind not only this season but year round when it comes to eye safety.

Here are a few fascinating facts I learned during their webinar:

25% of of an individual's lifetime UV exposure occurs before age 18
Everyone should wear sunglasses - even infants! The best shades for baby have straight arms so they don't pinch the skin
Only 21% of runners observed during marathons/races wear sunglasses - I was startled by this as it especially as I thought this group would be more generally health-conscious
Geographically NYC has the highest % of survey respondents who say their sunglasses do not have UV protection - c'mon NYers! I definitely notice a lot of fashionista sunglasses-wearing going on here, but think with all the cheap kiosks that abound it's easy to just pick up something cheap and stylish without checking that it's actually safe

Trying on the Nicole Miller "Sheridan" sunglasses I was sent by the Vision Council while on the webinar!

During the webinar I was especially concerned about my challenge of getting Nia to keep her sunglasses on - she really isn't a fan! I learned to get a few different pairs especially some that aren't too dark as to obstruct her vision but enough to show Nia how much comfortable it is for her to have them when outside. Also, I try to set a good example by showing Nia that I wear my sunglasses and she can be like mommy. So far it's slowly working!

To get started, here are a few recommended styles for your little ones:

For those of you who are visual, this helpful infographic helps put into perspective why it's so important to wear sunglasses year round (in a case so the UV protection doesn't get damaged!) :