The resolution of 96 polymethylmethacrylate intraocular lenses with convexo-plano optics, ranging in power from 13 to 27 diopters, was measured in air and water. The resolution of each lens was expressed in linear units of resolving power, which is the maximum number of line-pairs that can be resolved per millimeter, as described in the current ANSI Standard Z80.7-1984. There was no clearly defined relationship between linear resolving power measured in air and that measured in water. Measurements on high power lenses (greater than 20 diopters) indicate that it is possible for an intraocular lens to meet the current 100 line-pair per millimeter standard for resolution and still be a limiting factor in a patient's best attainable visual acuity. An alternative method for evaluating lens resolution is to determine the resolution efficiency (the relative percentage performance of a lens compared to a diffraction-limited lens of the same dioptric power). Using these units, a consistent and predictable relationship from air to water was demonstrated. Our findings confirm that if a minimum standard of 30% resolution efficiency in air is established, in contrast to linear resolving power, the lens will perform near its diffraction limit when implanted in the eye. For intraocular lenses of materials other than polymethylmethacrylate, a minimum resolution efficiency in air other than 30% may be required.