A Chronic Impairment of Colour Vision in Users of LSD
The British Journal of Psychiatry May 1, 1982 DOI: 10.1192/bjp.140.5.518 via OpenAlex
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractPeople who used LSD performed worse on a color discrimination test about two years after their last dose compared to non-users. Among the LSD users, those who did not experience flashbacks performed better than those who did. The differences between the three groups were statistically significant, suggesting that some LSD users may have a lasting or irreversible impairment in color discrimination.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 77 |
| Population | Users of LSD and controls |
| Duration | Average two years after last exposure |
| Keywords | Psychology Optometry Visual impairment Computer science Computer vision |
| Citations | 40 |
| Key finding | LSD users performed worse on a color discrimination test than controls, and users without flashbacks performed better than users with flashbacks. |
Abstract
Summary Forty-six users of the hallucinogen lysergic acid diethylamide were compared with 31 controls on a test of colour discrimination an average of two years after their last exposure to the drug. Controls performed better than users, and LSD users without flashbacks performed better than users with flashbacks. An analysis of variance between the three groups was significant at P <0.001. This study suggests that some users of LSD may have a sustained or irreversible impairment in colour discrimination.