Can I prevent my baby from getting poor eyesight?

Q: I am 29 years old and two months pregnant. This is my first pregnancy. I wear contact lenses. It is a hereditary disorder in my family. My sisters and brothers also wear contact lens. My husband and his family have no known eyesight disorder. Is there something I can do to prevent passing on this poor eyesight problem to my baby?

A:No, nothing can be done to alter the genetic make up of your offspring. Also, it is not definite if your child will be affected, but I will advise you to keep this in mind and make sure that your child's eyes and vision are checked as early as possible, definitely before three years of age, so that if and when defect is detected, it is corrected successfully. Any defect detected after about six years of age cannot be treated successfully, which may lead to a condition called amblyopia or lazy eye in one or both eyes.