optic nerve

noun

Anatomy.

1. either one of the second pair of cranial nerves, consisting of sensory fibers that conduct impulses from the retina to the brain.

optic nerve

noun

1. the second cranial nerve, which provides a sensory pathway from the retina to the brain

optic nerve

1. Either of the second pair of cranial nerves, which carry sensory information relating to vision from the retina of the eye to the brain. Disease or injury of the optic nerve can result in partial or total blindness.

optic nerve

1. The nerve that carries electrical signals from the retina in the eye to the brain.

Word History and Origins

Origin of optic nerve¹

First recorded in 1605–15

Example Sentences

Hidden behind each protruding eye are two long, spiraled optic nerves -- a configuration not documented in any other lizard species.

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The images are then sent back to the patient's brain, via the implant and optic nerve, giving them some vision again.

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In the frog, an optic nerve responds to the movement of a fly.

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Detailed scans by the optician showed damage to her optic nerve because of swelling in her brain.

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“Woo! Feel it and kill it,” says Rivera, a retired grape grower who’s suffered from a rare optic nerve disease since he was 22.

Read more on Los Angeles Times