optic nerve

noun

|Updated on: 12 Jun 2018

Definition of optic nerve

: either of the second pair of cranial nerves that pass from the retina to the optic chiasma and conduct visual stimuli to the brain — see eye illustration

See optic nerve defined for kids

Recent Examples of optic nerve from the Web

Biologically speaking, that light tricks the optic nerve into thinking it’s still time to be awake instead of allowing the natural release of melatonin and serotonin in the body to signal the end of the waking day.

— katie parsons, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Americans aren't sleeping enough, but early risers might live longer," 31 May 2018
About two weeks after Murray removed Salette's eye, a pathology report confirmed that the cancer had spread to her optic nerve.

— daniel chang, miamiherald, "'They killed my kid.' Parents sue renowned doctor, hospital after children die of cancer | Miami Herald," 21 May 2018
The tumor had done the most damage to her optic nerves, leaving her legally blind in her left eye and with only half the vision in her right.

— andrea simakis, cleveland.com, "Cleveland Clinic, parents clash over girl's brain tumor treatment; court to decide," 13 May 2018
As the immune system gets weaker, this can lead to the formation of lesions that can occur anywhere in the brain, optic nerve or spinal cord.

— rebecca hazen, Houston Chronicle, "Multiple sclerosis comes in many faces," 4 Apr. 2018
Multiple sclerosis is a disease of the central nervous system, which is made up of the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves.

— mary shannon wells, Southern Living, "Mothers of SEC Players Who Make Us Stand Up And Cheer," 7 Apr. 2018
At the hospital, doctors performed an emergency surgery to fully remove what was left of my eyes in an attempt to preserve my optic nerves and to prevent infection.

— elizabeth narins, Cosmopolitan, "I'm the Girl Who Clawed Her Own Eyes Out. This Is My Story.," 9 Mar. 2018
Various universities are working on robotic eyes to give us Superman vision that will also stream Netflix directly and social media into our optic nerve.

— zoltan istvan, Newsweek, "Quantum Archaeology: The Quest to 3D Bioprint Every Dead Person Back to Life," 9 Mar. 2018
Cells in the retina send signals to the brain via the optic nerve.

— Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Routine eye exams reveal diseases unrelated to the eye," 5 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'optic nerve.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of optic nerve

1615

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

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