NEW YORK—Happy National Sunglasses Day! Every year on June 27, the optical community comes together to celebrate National Sunglasses Day, a day meant to promote the importance of UV protective eyewear for overall health. The holiday, promoted by The Vision Council, is a reminder that sunglasses are both a fashion statement and a health necessity—especially this year, as millions of people across the country spend more time outside in parks, beaches, and backyards due to COVID-19.

Today, we can all get involved with National Sunglasses Day online by posting selfies on social media using the official hashtags #SunglassesSelfie and #NationalSunglassesDay, and by tagging @TheVisionCouncil on Facebook and Instagram and @OpticalIndustry on Twitter. Posting a selfie might seem like a small thing to do—but it makes a huge difference in reminding people just how important UV protection actually is. In fact, in 2019, National Sunglasses Day garnered over 1.2 billion media impressions, and trended on Twitter throughout the day.

To help, The Vision Council has created downloadable marketing assets, including sample social media graphics and posts, web banners, posters, logos, and more, which are all available on nationalsunglassesday.com. In addition, The Vision Council encourages eyecare providers to discuss healthy vision maintenance, including the impact of UV eye exposure and the breadth of UV-protective eyewear option with patients. Additional information regarding UV eye protection and sunglasses is available on ThinkAboutYourEyes.com.

@VisionMonday Edit Team #Sunglass Selfie





Each year, the VM team steps away from our computers for a few minutes to take a National Sunglasses Day selfie of our own, and, although this year was a little different, we didn’t let our tradition die. Here’s our team, wearing, clockwise from top left: Mary Kane in Neubau, Gwen Plummer in Prive Revaux, Jaleesa Baulkman in Aldo, Marge Axelrad in Max Mara, Andy Karp in Under Armour with EnChroma lenses and Mark Tosh in Oakley.

So, while many of us may not be able to take our #SunglassesSelfie with our favorite people today, there are still a myriad of creative ways to get involved. Here, we’ll take a look at some highlights from National Sunglasses Days past for inspiration, as well as the ways some have been preparing all week—with a full Saturday ahead, there’s still plenty of time to take part.


Criminal Minds stars Matthew Gray Gubler (Reid) and A.J. Cook (JJ) took a #SunglassesSelfie of their own last year. Image via Criminal Minds CBS on Instagram.

 

The team at Tura pointed out two things you should never leave home without: your sunglasses and your mask. Image via Tura on Instagram.



Last year, Athena Brasfield, OD, who practices at Coachella Valley Optometry in California, appeared on the local news to promote National Sunglasses Day. Image via Dr. Brasfield on Instagram



The Optical Heritage Museum took a look back at a vintage sunglasses ad to see just how long our love affair with sunglasses has lasted. Image via The Optical Heritage Museum on Instagram. 



Combining the lockdown baking trend with National Sunglasses Day is a perfect way to make today even more fun. Image via EJ’s Sweets on Instagram.



Getting the pups involved will make your #SunglassesSelfie a social media winner. Image via CARAAFdogs on Instagram.



And while we can’t travel right now, today is the perfect excuse to post that cute tourist picture that’s been in your camera roll for ages. Image via Danny Ching on Instagram.
In addition to social media posts, many ECPs find National Sunglasses Day to be a great day for running promotions on sunglass purchases, or hosting special events—which would have to happen virtually this year. No matter how you chose to celebrate it, National Sunglasses Day is both fun and important. As Ashley Mills, CEO of The Vision Council, explained, “As practices around the country are staring to reopen, National Sunglasses Day is a great way for eyecare providers to engage with patients in a positive way. By providing resources like shareable social media posts, we hope to make it easier for eyecare providers to connect with their patients and reinforce the importance of eye health.”