Their study has found half the world's population will be short-sighted by 2050.
It says the rapid increase of myopia is because people are spending less time outdoors and more time on electronic devices.
Danny Kho can read an eye chart pretty easily, until he removes his glasses.
Without them Danny can't see more than 20 centimetres ahead, because he's short-sighted.
The 26 year-old was diagnosed with myopia when he was eight years old.
He says he simply couldn't see clearly.
"I noticed I had some trouble seeing the words on the board clearly so that was when my parents first took me to see an optometrist and that's when I was told I was short-sighted. And I was given my first pair of glasses and it really made a difference for me being able to see what was on the board clearly."
Danny is Chinese - the condition can be genetic - and traditionally Asian people have been affected more.
But increasingly environmental influences are being attributed as causing the condition.
Danny says he didn't spend much time outdoors as a child.
"My family - my dad and my sister - they're both short-sighted. But also when I was a lot younger I have to admit I did spend a lot of time doing things up close so I was playing a lot of video games reading a lot of books so I did spend hours and hours doing things up close indoors."
CEO of the Brien Holden Vision Institute, Professor Kovin Naidoo, is one of the researchers involved in a new study.
He says five billion people will be myopic by 2050 - that's half the world's population.
"If we don't do anything it's probably going to be one of the most significant public health challenges of our time. I mean how many conditions do we have in the world, health conditions that affect that many people in the population?"
The number with vision loss from high myopia is expected to increase seven-fold from 2000 to 2050, with myopia to become a leading cause of permanent blindness worldwide.
Professor Naidoo says this is a major concern, as one in ten people will be at risk of blindness.
"So the problem of that condition is that it will increase visual impairment and blindness. It will increase the risk of individuals getting glaucoma and one study showed that by 14.4 times; the risk of cataract by 3 times; it will led to a condition called myopic macular degeneration which can lead to visual impairment and blindness."
Researchers looked at 145 studies worldwide, including United Nations Development Program population data.
Professor Naidoo says the condition will reach epidemic proportions if nothing is done.
"Beside the impact to the individual the cost to society of managing or running an eye health system is going to increase dramatically if we don't do something to change this trend."
To help prevent the condition specialists say there's quite a simple solution - children should be encouraged to spend at least two hours outside each day.
Their eyes should be checked regularly and electronic device use reduced.
As for a cure, there isn't one.
Glasses and contacts with specialised lenses, some drugs and laser treatments can assist.
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