Optic Nerve
Optic Nerve
The Optic Nerve (pronunciation: /ˈɒptɪk ˈnɜːrv/), also known as the second cranial nerve, is a paired nerve that transmits visual information from the retina to the brain.
Etymology
The term "optic" comes from the Greek word "optikos," meaning "of sight" or "related to seeing," and "nerve" originates from the Latin word "nervus," meaning "sinew, tendon, nerve."
Anatomy
The optic nerve is composed of retinal ganglion cell axons and glial cells. Each human optic nerve contains between 770,000 and 1.7 million nerve fibers, which are axons of the retinal ganglion cells of one retina.
Function
The optic nerve functions to transmit visual information from the retina to the visual cortex of the brain. This information is processed by the brain to allow us to perceive and understand the world around us.
Related Terms
- Retina: The light-sensitive layer of tissue at the back of the inner eye that converts light images to nerve impulses and sends them to the brain through the optic nerve.
- Visual Cortex: The part of the brain where visual information is processed.
- Glial Cells: Non-neuronal cells in the central nervous system that support and protect neurons.
- Axon: The long threadlike part of a nerve cell along which impulses are conducted from the cell body to other cells.
Pathology
Damage to the optic nerve can cause vision loss. The type of vision loss and how severe it is depends on where the damage occurs. It may affect one or both eyes. The most common causes of optic nerve damage include Glaucoma, optic neuritis, and trauma.
See Also
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Optic Nerve
- Wikipedia's article - Optic Nerve
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