The optic nerve, also called the second cranial nerve, is the bundle of nerve fibers that carries visual information from the retina to the brain. Made up of the axons of retinal ganglion cells, it leaves the eye at the optic disc and transmits the electrical signals that the brain interprets as sight. Because every…
The optic nerve, also called the second cranial nerve, is the bundle of nerve fibers that carries visual information from the retina to the brain. Made up of the axons of retinal ganglion cells, it leaves the eye at the optic disc and transmits the electrical signals that the brain interprets as sight. Because every visual message passes through it, damage to the optic nerve from raised pressure, poor blood supply, compression, inflammation, or injury can cause partial or complete loss of vision, making its health central to ophthalmology. Research collected on this page reflects the study of the optic nerve and the retinal ganglion cells that form it. Work includes the effect of lowering intraocular pressure in optic nerve head drusen, an investigation of how transiently raised pressure affects retinal ganglion cells and retinal function, the measurement of macular ganglion cell layer thickness, and cases of lesions affecting the optic pathways. Further contributions examine molecular factors relevant to optic nerve and ganglion cell biology. Together these illustrate how the optic nerve is assessed and protected. As the conduit of vision, the optic nerve is central to Ophthalmic Science. The page gathers peer-reviewed, open-access research relevant to the optic nerve and visual pathways.
12 peer-reviewed articles, ranked by relevance. Each links to its DOI.
The 12 articles above have been cited 25 times in the scholarly literature. Citation data via OpenAlex and Crossref, updated Jun 2026.
A sample of recent works citing this journal's research on Optic Nerve, linking to each citing work.