Hong Kong, China, June 13, 2017 /ChinaNewswire.com/ - Now that the Dragon Boat Festival has passed, adults and children can enjoy a variety of outdoor activities in the upcoming summer season. Our eyes can get used to light of various intensities. If we are exposed to strong sunlight for a long time, not only will our eyes become tired, but harmful ultraviolet light will cause damage when it enters our eyes. Wearing quality sunglasses is the best way to protect our eyes.

Children's sunglasses are not simply decorative. If the sun hurts their eyes it may have a long-term impact on their eyesight. If children wear sub-standard sunglasses, the lenses will cause their irises to expand and increase the amount of light entering the eyes. UV is far more penetrating than visible light. This results in serious harm to children’s eyes. It may even lead to diseases such as keratitis and cataracts.

TUV Rheinland experts advise parents to purchase children's sunglasses from certified manufacturers, and if possible products certified as providing 100% UV protection. For children with eye conditions, consult your physician to see if they can wear sunglasses, then get the proper prescription.

Parents should carefully select both the lenses and frames of children's sunglasses. The colour should not be too dark, and grey, amber and green are preferable. Children are very active and naturally tend to run into things or fall over. Glass lenses are less resistant to impact and not as safe as those made from wear-resistant resin or polycarbonate. Parents can observe objects in the distance when looking through the sunglasses, rotating them slightly to check for any signs of distortion or warping. Do not purchase sunglasses with these characteristics, as the lenses may be deformed.

Key markets such as the EU have made gradual adjustments to the entry threshold for sunglasses in recent years. Since 2014, all sunglasses exported to the EU region have been required to conform to the EN ISO 12312-1 safety standard. The standard was subsequently adopted by many other countries, including Australia, Brazil and the US. A new version of the EU regulations on personal protective equipment will become compulsory in April next year, further raising the documentation and user information requirements for distributors and manufacturers. A new ISO standard for cycling/sporting sunglasses is also being drafted. The entry threshold of the global market for makers of sunglasses is therefore being raised every year.

TUV Rheinland opened its first and only eyewear laboratory in Shenzhen this June. By effectively reducing testing/certification time and costs for eyewear manufacturers, this will also help makers of sunglasses break into global markets.

For more information on sunglasses testing, please click http://bit.ly/TRsunglasses