Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 9, 2026

Testing Animal Anxiety in Rats: Effects of Open Arm Ledges and Closed Arm Wall Transparency in Elevated Plus Maze Test
Published on: June 29, 2018
Impairment of contrast sensitivity in long-term lorazepam users
Anne Giersch1, Claude Speeg-Schatz, Monique Tondre
1INSERM U666-Department of Psychiatry, Hôpitaux Universitaires de Strasbourg, 1, place de l'Hôpital, 67091, Strasbourg Cedex, France. giersch@alsace.u-strasbg.fr
Rationale:
Oculomotor balance and contrast sensitivity are known to be impaired after an intake of a single dose of lorazepam. To the best of our knowledge, these effects have not been explored in long-term users of lorazepam, despite the potential importance of such deficits in everyday life.
Objective:
We tested the ophthalmological effects and contrast sensitivity for static stimuli in long-term lorazepam users.
Materials And Methods:
There were 15 lorazepam users and 15 sex-, age- and education level-matched control subjects tested, using a simple blind procedure.
Results:
The ophthalmological effects were scarce, with a discrete exophoria. Visual acuity was preserved. Contrast sensitivity, however, was more markedly impaired, consistent with the effects of an acute dose of lorazepam. The effects were not correlated with anxiety or sedation.
Conclusions:
The results are discussed in terms of their possible impact on everyday life. As visual acuity does not allow the detection of the impairments that are observed in the present study, it is suggested that a more systematic exploration of contrast sensitivity be carried out in long-term users of benzodiazepines.
Related Concept Videos
Sedatives and Hypnotics Drugs: Benzodiazepines
Benzodiazepines work by enhancing the effects of the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA. They bind to the GABAA receptor, increasing its affinity for GABA, which opens chloride...
CNS Depressants: Barbiturates and Benzodiazepines
Sedatives and Hypnotics Drugs: Barbiturates
Local Anesthetics: Pharmacokinetics
Imaging Studies III: Computed Tomography
Drug Toxicity: Dose-Dependent Reactions
