Healthy eye habits start early with Speckles tiny range for babies

In 2022, Maddy Scavone, Melbourne paediatric orthoptist and founder of amblyopic patches company Speckles, told NZ Optics, “Really, a lot of kids’ sunglasses are toys unless they have good UV filtering,” which is of particular concern in Australasia, where the thin ozone layer allows increased UV penetration, she said. So she set about remedying the lack of proper protection for kids’ eyes, launching her own range of kids’ sunnies.

“I wanted to create a sunglasses line for children as I was frustrated with how little they wore sunglasses. The designs available for kids were also not very stylish and looked a bit tacky and not durable,” said Scavone.

However, despite Scavone’s best efforts, a local solution wasn’t on the cards. “After finding nowhere in Australia able to make children’s glasses or even create the designs and use the materials I’d envisioned, I sourced a great manufacturing partner in Hong Kong specialising in children’s sunglasses,” she said. Fortunately, the regulatory and certification hurdles for UV-protection were not a problem, since the manufacturer already had these established.

Australian-designed and with 100% UVA and UVB filtering, the Speckles Shades range was launched in Australia and New Zealand in the summer of 2020, with a new range now also shipping to the US, Canada, Europe and the UK. “We’ve seen great success among paediatric ophthalmologists, with the new range launched at the American Academy of Pediatric Ophthalmology & Strabismus conference in New York,” said Scavone. “Surprisingly, some kids’ boutique stores from Europe and the US also found us through our wholesale channel and they’re selling great there, as well as in pharmacies in Brisbane!”

For kids under six, the frames are made to be unbreakable, with a 12-month ‘kid-proof warranty’ to back up that claim, she said. Speckles also offers a range of baby sunnies made from a soft, hypoallergenic material that comes with straps to adjust as the baby grows. The designs – such as Ferg and Willow – are named after the babies of Scavone’s friends and family, while the Hollows range was named after the late New Zealand-Australian ophthalmologist Fred Hollows.

Speckles Shades don’t just protect their wearers’ eyes – for every pair sold, the company donates AU$1 to the charity Sightsavers, which is currently funding a project in Liberia to provide around 200,000 kids with vision checks and deworming treatment so they can attend school, said Scavone. “I am super passionate about Sightsavers’ work and it’s another way we can help look after the eyes of our future!”

Pictures by Speckles