Medical Dictionary

optic nerve

noun

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

Illustration of OPTIC NERVE

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