A computer-implemented method for designing a spectacle lens, comprising: a determination step of determining, for a designated prescription data for a spectacle lens, a plurality of optimization criteria for optimizing optical performance of the spectacle lens, wherein an optimization criterion is acquired from a database in which a plurality of sets of prescription data and a plurality of optimization criteria corresponding to the respective sets of prescription data are recorded, and is determined as one of the optimization criteria, and wherein an optimization criterion different from the one optimization criterion acquired from the database is freely designated and is determined as another one of the optimization criteria; a design step of designing a plurality of prototype lenses by optimization design, each prototype lens corresponding to one of the plurality of optimization criteria determined in the determination step, wherein in the optimization design, shapes of lens surfaces of the prototype lenses are designed so that optical performance of the prototype lenses is approximated to a target optical performance; a selection step of evaluating the optical performance of each of the plurality of prototype lenses, calculating a degree of similarity between the optical performance of each of the plurality of prototype lenses and a reference optical performance, and selecting a prototype lens to be provided as the spectacle lens from the plurality of prototype lenses designed in the design step that has the greatest degree of similarity to the reference optical performance; and a recording step of recording the optimization criterion used for designing the prototype lens selected in the selection step as an optimization criterion corresponding to the designated prescription data in the database. a determination step of determining, for a designated prescription data for a spectacle lens, a plurality of optimization criteria for optimizing optical performance of the spectacle lens, wherein an optimization criterion is acquired from a database in which a plurality of sets of prescription data and a plurality of optimization criteria corresponding to the respective sets of prescription data are recorded, and is determined as one of the optimization criteria, and wherein an optimization criterion different from the one optimization criterion acquired from the database is freely designated and is determined as another one of the optimization criteria; a design step of designing a plurality of prototype lenses by optimization design, each prototype lens corresponding to one of the plurality of optimization criteria determined in the determination step, wherein in the optimization design, shapes of lens surfaces of the prototype lenses are designed so that optical performance of the prototype lenses is approximated to a target optical performance; a selection step of evaluating the optical performance of each of the plurality of prototype lenses, calculating a degree of similarity between the optical performance of each of the plurality of prototype lenses and a reference optical performance, and selecting a prototype lens to be provided as the spectacle lens from the plurality of prototype lenses designed in the design step that has the greatest degree of similarity to the reference optical performance; and a recording step of recording the optimization criterion used for designing the prototype lens selected in the selection step as an optimization criterion corresponding to the designated prescription data in the database. <EOS>