Older adults are projected to outnumber people under age 18 by 2035—for the first time in U.S. history. They’ll start to hold their cards further away or move their arm in and out as they view their cellphones, as they have trouble focusing. There are other conditions that may beset Americans as they grow older—glaucoma, cataracts, or age-related macular degeneration, but none of the others are as inevitable and affect as many. Blurry vision happens to everybody as we get older.

“It’s an exciting era opening up for doctor and patient who are interested in controlling and managing presbyopia,” Dr. Chang O.D., director of specialty lenses in cornea service at Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia. says. “If we’re talking about what’s exciting, we really can’t get away from the recent FDA approval of VUITY(by Allergan), which is one of the first, and others to come, in terms of presbyopia pharmaceutical eye drop.

There may be an inevitability when it comes to presbyopia, but doctors of optometry can help patients understand their options and relieve their frustrations.