diff --git a/src/catch2/benchmark/catch_optimizer.hpp b/src/catch2/benchmark/catch_optimizer.hpp
index 61e6571f..5535b2a2 100644
--- a/src/catch2/benchmark/catch_optimizer.hpp
+++ b/src/catch2/benchmark/catch_optimizer.hpp
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ namespace Catch {
         } // namespace Detail
 #elif defined(_MSC_VER) || defined(__IAR_SYSTEMS_ICC__)
 
-#if defined(_MSVC_VER)
+#if defined(_MSC_VER)
 #pragma optimize("", off)
 #elif defined(__IAR_SYSTEMS_ICC__)
 // For IAR the pragma only affects the following function
@@ -71,6 +71,13 @@ namespace Catch {
         template <typename Fn, typename... Args>
         inline auto invoke_deoptimized(Fn&& fn, Args&&... args) -> std::enable_if_t<std::is_same<void, decltype(fn(args...))>::value> {
             CATCH_FORWARD((fn)) (CATCH_FORWARD(args)...);
+            // In the non-void case, we pass the result through `deoptimize_value`
+            // to force the compiler to keep it. We have no return value here,
+            // but add an optimizer barrier (ideally a memory clobber) to force
+            // the _side effects_ of the loop be visible (e.g. writes to globals).
+            // Note that writes to benchmark-locals can be optimized away, as
+            // we would expect in normal code.
+            Detail::optimizer_barrier();
         }
     } // namespace Benchmark
 } // namespace Catch
diff --git a/tests/CMakeLists.txt b/tests/CMakeLists.txt
index 5a74a9d0..469e3f3d 100644
--- a/tests/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/tests/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -486,19 +486,6 @@ set_tests_properties("Benchmarking::SkipBenchmarkMacros"
     FAIL_REGULAR_EXPRESSION "benchmark name"
 )
 
-add_test(NAME "Benchmarking::FailureReporting::OptimizedOut"
-  COMMAND
-    $<TARGET_FILE:SelfTest> "Failing benchmarks" -c "empty" -r xml
-  # This test only makes sense with the optimizer being enabled when
-  # the tests are being compiled.
-  CONFIGURATIONS Release
-)
-set_tests_properties("Benchmarking::FailureReporting::OptimizedOut"
-  PROPERTIES
-    PASS_REGULAR_EXPRESSION "could not measure benchmark\, maybe it was optimized away"
-    FAIL_REGULAR_EXPRESSION "successes=\"1\""
-)
-
 add_test(NAME "Benchmarking::FailureReporting::ThrowingBenchmark"
   COMMAND
     $<TARGET_FILE:SelfTest> "Failing benchmarks" -c "throw" -r xml
diff --git a/tests/SelfTest/IntrospectiveTests/InternalBenchmark.tests.cpp b/tests/SelfTest/IntrospectiveTests/InternalBenchmark.tests.cpp
index 69251d97..b7ec17b8 100644
--- a/tests/SelfTest/IntrospectiveTests/InternalBenchmark.tests.cpp
+++ b/tests/SelfTest/IntrospectiveTests/InternalBenchmark.tests.cpp
@@ -429,9 +429,6 @@ TEST_CASE("run benchmark", "[benchmark][approvals]") {
 }
 
 TEST_CASE("Failing benchmarks", "[!benchmark][.approvals]") {
-    SECTION("empty", "Benchmark that has been optimized away (because it is empty)") {
-        BENCHMARK("Empty benchmark") {};
-    }
     SECTION("throw", "Benchmark that throws an exception") {
         BENCHMARK("Throwing benchmark") {
             throw "just a plain literal, bleh";