What is the optic nerve?

What is the optic nerve?

The optic nerve is a bundle of more than 1 million nerve fibers that carry visual messages. You have one connecting the back of each eye (your retina) to your brain. Damage to an optic nerve can cause vision loss.

What is the function optic nerve?

The optic nerve is a bundle of more than 1 million nerve fibers. Also known as the second cranial nerve or cranial nerve II (CNII), it is the second of several pairs of cranial nerves. It transmits sensory information for vision in the form of electrical impulses from the eye to the brain.

What is optic nerve short answer?

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.

What is an example of optic nerve?

Optic nerves basically link our eyes with the brain. The images which we see are first perceived by the retina as impulses. For example if we are seeing many trees and flowers , our retina first perceives the qualities of these plants like the color, the intensity and creates impulses.

What is optic nerve test?

A bright light will be used to assess the appearance of the optic nerve head, and evaluate the presence of glaucomatous structural damage. It is a quick and painless procedure. The optic nerve is examined at the slit lamp by using special lenses, usually with NO contact with the eye.

What sense does the optic nerve control?

Function. The optic nerve transmits all visual information including brightness perception, color perception and contrast (visual acuity). It also conducts the visual impulses that are responsible for two important neurological reflexes: the light reflex and the accommodation reflex.

What happens if right optic nerve is damaged?

Optic nerve damage is also called optic nerve atrophy or optic neuropathy. The optic nerve is the nerve that connects and transmits information between the eye and the brain. Optic nerve damage can lead to vision distortion, vision loss, and blindness.

What can cause optic nerve damage?

What Causes Optic Nerve Damage? Optic nerve damage case be caused by eye diseases like glaucoma, poor blood flow (ischemic optic neuropathy), shock or trauma, toxins such as lead or carbon monoxide, radiation, or diseases of the central nervous system.

How do you know if you have optic nerve damage?

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). During an MRI to check for optic neuritis, you might receive an injection of a contrast solution to make the optic nerve and other parts of your brain more visible on the images. An MRI is important to determine whether there are damaged areas (lesions) in your brain.

What is the treatment for optic nerve damage?

Optic neuritis usually improves on its own. In some cases, steroid medications are used to reduce inflammation in the optic nerve. Possible side effects from steroid treatment include weight gain, mood changes, facial flushing, stomach upset and insomnia. Steroid treatment is usually given by vein (intravenously).

What is the medical definition of the optic nerve?

Medical Definition of optic nerve. : either of the pair of sensory nerves that comprise the second pair of cranial nerves, arise from the ventral part of the diencephalon, form an optic chiasma before passing to the eye and spreading over the anterior surface of the retina, and conduct visual stimuli to the brain—called also second cranial nerve.

Where are the optic nerves located?

The optic nerve is located in the back of the eye. It is also called the second cranial nerve or cranial nerve II . It is the second of several pairs of cranial nerves. The job of the optic nerve is to transfer visual information from the retina to the vision centers of the brain via electrical impulses.

Where does the optic nerve send impulses to?

The optic nerve carries the impulses formed by the retina, the nerve layer that lines the back of the eye and senses light and creates impulses. These impulses are dispatched through the optic nerve to the brain, which interprets them as images. Using an ophthalmoscope, the head of the optic nerve can be easily seen.

What causes pain in the optic nerve and vision loss?

The nerve fibers have a special coating called myelin. Optic neuritis occurs when swelling (inflammation) damages the optic nerve — a bundle of nerve fibers that transmits visual information from your eye to your brain. Common symptoms of optic neuritis include pain with eye movement and temporary vision loss in one eye.