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Effects of low alcohol consumption on visual evoked potential, visual field and visual contrast sensitivity
J C Quintyn1, J Massy, M Quillard
1Service d'Ophtalmologie Hôpital Charles Nicolle, Rouen, France.
Purpose:
We studied changes in the vision of 16 people after consumption of a small quantity of alcohol, at a blood alcohol level (BAL) of 0.57 g/kg.
Methods:
We studied visual contrast sensitivity (VCS) using Vistech VCTS 6500, visual evoked potential (VEP) by checked pattern stimulations and the peripheral visual field (PVF) with a perimetric automatic Humphrey. We first carried out the tests on sober people and then on individuals with a BAL of 0.57 g/kg.
Results:
Alcohol consumption caused no significant difference in performance for these 3 tests. However, at a BAL of 0.57 g/kg there was a decrease in cerebral function, as shown by an increase in the number of mistakes made in the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test.
Conclusion:
These results suggest that for a low blood alcohol level, visual performance is less affected by the visual changes than by alteration in brain functions.