PURPOSE: To evaluate the influence of the previous instillation of anesthetic eye drops, as well as to verify intraocular pressure (IOP) performance with adaptation to noncontact tonometry (NCT). METHODS: A randomized double-masked study in which 24 eyes of 24 normal volunteers were studied, divided into group I (NCT with anesthetic instillation) and group II (NCT with placebo instillation). Subjects in both groups were submitted to Goldmann applanation tonometry (GAT) after NCT. IOP was measured on three different visits, with an interval of 1 to 3 days. RESULTS: IOP measured with GAT was the only statistically significant predictor variable (p<0.05) for NCT. There was no difference in IOP variation between the groups (p=0.884) or between the visits (p=0.144). A better correlation was found between GAT and NCT in group II (placebo) when compared to group I (anesthetic) on all visits, but this difference was not statistically significant (p=0.4853). CONCLUSIONS: Previous instillation of anesthetic eye drops and normal adaptation of normal individuals to NCT did not demonstrate a significant influence on IOP measures.