Materials and Methods: Clear corneal phacoemulsification surgery under topical anesthesia was performed in 120 eyes of 120 randomly selected patients who had undergone no previous eye surgery. Continuous irrigation of the anterior chamber was provided by an anterior chamber maintainer in all cases during surgery. Problems such as discomfort and panic that would require use of a different type of anesthesia and sedatives were not encountered in patients during surgery. All the operations were concluded without any problem.

Results: The study included 66 male (55%) and 54 (45%) female patients. The mean age was 65.5±15 (min: 40, max: 80) years. The patients were interviewed in the 24-hour period following the operation. All the patients reported that they could see some light during the surgery. The colors included red (70 cases, 58%), yellow (40 cases, 34%), blue (6 cases, 5%), and green (4 cases, 3%). Thirty patients (25%) reported that they had seen bright white lights in addition to other colors and 4 (3%) stated that they had seen the movements the of surgeon. None of the patients developed a complication postoperatively regarding ACM use.

Conclusions: This study revealed the similarity between the visual experiences of patients who underwent clear corneal phacoemulsification under topical anesthesia with anterior chamber maintainer and the patients who underwent surgery with the use of a viscoelastic substance. Keywords : Phacoemulsification, visual experience