We analyze the linear equalizers used in optically amplified on-off-keyed (OOK) systems to combat chromatic dispersion (CD) and polarization mode dispersion (PMD), and we derive the mathematical minimum mean squared error (MMSE) performance of these equalizers. Currently, the MMSE linear equalizer for optical OOK systems is obtained by simulations using adaptive approaches such as least mean squared (LMS) or constant modulus algorithm (CMA), but no theoretical studies on the optimal solutions for these equalizers have been performed. We model the optical OOK systems as square-law nonlinear channels and compute the MMSE equalizer coefficients directly from the estimated optical channel, signal power, and optical noise variance. The accuracy of the calculated MMSE equalizer coefficients and MMSE performance has been verified by simulations using adaptive algorithms.