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
Examples of optic nerve in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web However, he soon was declared medically unfit for service due to optic neuritis, which is an inflammation of the optic nerve, and got an honorable discharge.
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Morgan Watkins, The Courier-Journal, "Amy McGrath: Mitch McConnell was 'desperate' to criticize her on 9/11," 12 Sep. 2020 This can lead to a dangerous buildup of acid in the bloodstream that damages organs and tissues, particularly the optic nerve, causing vision impairment and blindness.
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Beth Mole, Ars Technica, "Toxic hand sanitizers have blinded and killed adults and children, FDA warns," 6 July 2020 Vision scientists have been at work for years building artificial retinas that would allow blind people to see by sending signals directly to their brains, bypassing any nonfunctional parts of the eye or optic nerve.
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Grace Huckins, Wired, "Scientists Taught Mice to Smell an Odor That Doesn’t Exist," 25 June 2020 Formic acid can also accumulate in the optic nerve, causing severe damage that can lead to permanent blindness.
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Beth Mole, Ars Technica, "Toxic methanol that causes blindness found in hand sanitizers, FDA warns," 23 June 2020 Doctors revived him, but damage to his optic nerve left him blind.
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Margalit Fox, New York Times, "Peter Beard, “The End of the Game”," 19 Apr. 2020 Quitting lowers the risk of not only lung and heart disease but also age-related macular degeneration, cataracts and optic nerve damage.
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Meryl Davids Landau, Good Housekeeping, "How to Maintain Good Eye Health, According to Doctors," 13 Mar. 2020 After returning to Earth, evaluations of the astronauts have revealed swelling of the optic nerve that connects the eye and brain, retinal bleeding, fluffy white patches on the retina and other changes in eye structure.
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Ashley Strickland, CNN, "Long-term spaceflight could permanently increase astronaut brain volume, study says," 14 Apr. 2020 Although physicians can use a test in which a puff of air is blown into your eye for screening, official diagnosis requires a dilated exam to scrutinize the optic nerve as well as other tests.
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Kaitlyn Pirie, Good Housekeeping, "8 Common Vision Issues and What to Do About Them, According to Eye Doctors," 2 Apr. 2020
See MoreThese 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.
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Time Traveler for optic nerve
The first known use of optic nerve was in 1615
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