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optic nerve
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Diagram of a horizontal section of the human eye showing labeled parts including the cornea, iris, lens, retina, sclera, optic nerve, and blood vessels, with internal structures and muscles visible. Diagram showing how visual information from an object enters the left and right eyes, travels along the optic nerves, crosses at the optic chiasma, and reaches the occipital lobes in the brain for image processing. The Human Body Papilledema Figure 1: General structure of the mammalian eye. Diagram showing the layered structure of the human retina, with labeled optic nerve fibers, ganglion cells, bipolar neurons, rod cells, cone cells, and pigmented epithelium at the base.
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Diagram of a horizontal section of the human eye showing labeled parts including the cornea, iris, lens, retina, sclera, optic nerve, and blood vessels, with internal structures and muscles visible.
cross section of the eye Horizontal cross section of the human eye, showing the structures of the eye, the visual axis (the central point of image focusing in the retina), and the optical axis (the axis about which the eye is rotated by the eye muscles).

optic nerve

anatomy
Also known as: second cranial nerve
Written by
Daniel M. Albert
Professor of Ophthalmology, University of Wisconsin at Madison. Professor of Ophthalmology, Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation.
Daniel M. AlbertAll
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Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
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History

optic nerve, second cranial nerve, which carries sensory nerve impulses from the more than one million ganglion cells of the retina toward the visual centres in the brain. The vast majority of optic nerve fibres convey information regarding central vision. The optic nerve begins at the optic disk, a structure that is 1.5 mm (0.06 inch) in diameter and is located at the back of the eye. The optic disk forms from the convergence of...

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