The use of femtosecond lasers requires accurate measurements of the dispersive properties of media. Here we measure the second- and third-order dispersion of water, seawater, and ocular components in the range of 660-930 nm using a new method known as multiphoton intrapulse interference phase scan. Our direct dispersion measurements of water have the highest precision and accuracy to date. We found that the dispersion for seawater increases proportionally to the concentration of salt. The dispersion of the vitreous humor was found to be close to that of water. The chromatic dispersion of the cornea-lens complex was measured to obtain the full dispersive properties of the eye. © 2007 Optical Society of America.