optic disk

disk

 [disk]

a circular or rounded flat plate; often spelled disc in names of anatomic structures.

articular disk a pad of fibrocartilage or dense fibrous tissue present in some synovial joints.

Bowman's disk one of the flat plates making up a striated muscle fiber.

choked disk papilledema.

ciliary disk pars plana.

embryonic disk (germ disk) (germinal disk) a flattened round bilaminar plate of cells in the blastocyst of a mammal, where the first traces of the embryo are seen; called also embryonic or germinal area.

herniated disk see herniated disk.

intervertebral disk the layer of fibrocartilage between the bodies of adjoining vertebrae; see also herniated disk.

intra-articular d's articular disk.

Merkel's d's small cup-shaped tactile receptors in the skin that are particularly sensitive to continuous pressure.

optic disk the intraocular part of the optic nerve formed by fibers converging from the retina and appearing as a pink to white disk in the retina; there are no sensory receptors in the region and hence no response to stimuli. Called also blind spot.

ruptured disk herniated disk.

slipped disk popular term for herniated disk.

optic disk

n. Anatomy

See blind spot.

Optic disk

The small area in the retina where the optic nerve enters the eye that is not sensitive to light. Also called the blind spot.

Mentioned in: Retinal Vein Occlusion

Mariotte,

Edmé, French physicist, 1620-1684.

Mariotte blind spot - an oval area of the ocular fundus devoid of light receptors where the axons of the retinal ganglion cell converge to form the optic nerve head. Synonym(s): optic disk

Mariotte bottle - a stoppered bottle with bottom outlet, used as a reservoir for constant infusions.

Mariotte experiment - an experiment that proves the absence of photoreceptors where the optic nerve enters the eye.

Mariotte law - Synonym(s): Boyle law

optic

of or pertaining to the eye.

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optic chiasma

see optic chiasm.

optic cortex

see visual cortex.

optic cup activity

see intraretinal space.

optic disk

the disk in the fundus of the eye marking the point at which the optic nerve enters; it is accompanied by blood vessels, is oval, light in color and the blind spot of the retina.

optic nerve

the second cranial nerve; it is purely sensory and is concerned with carrying impulses for the sense of sight. The rods and cones of the retina are connected with the optic nerve which leaves the eye slightly to the nasal side of the center of the retina. The point at which the optic nerve leaves the eye is called the blind spot because there are no rods and cones in this area. The optic nerve passes through the optic foramen of the skull and into the cranial cavity. It then passes backward and undergoes a division; those nerve fibers leading from the nasal side of the retina cross to the opposite side in the optic chiasma while those from the temporal side continue to the thalamus uncrossed. The nerve tracts proceeding backward from the optic chiasm, pass around the cerebral peduncle, and dividing into a lateral and medial root, which end in the superior colliculus and lateral geniculate body, respectively. After synapsing in the thalamus the neurons convey visual impulses to the occipital lobe of the brain.

Injury to the nerve leads to partial or complete loss of sight on the opposite side. Commonly bilateral.

optic nerve aplasia

an uncommon congenital anomaly, most frequently seen in Collie dogs; affected animals are blind from birth. Hypovitaminosis A and prenatal infection with bovine virus diarrhea are possible causes.

optic nerve inflammation

optic neuritis.

optic primordia

the eyes begin in the embryo as a pair of shallow optic grooves on each side of the developing forebrain. The grooves form optic vesicles which invaginate to form a double-walled optic cup.

optic radiation

fibers from the lateral geniculate body entering the occipital cortex.

optic stalk

the evagination from the neural tube of the developing embryo which develops the optic cup at its extremity; the stalk persists as the optic nerve.

optic sulcus

see optic groove.

optic vesicle

the initial evagination from the neural tube which gives rise to the optic cup and the optic stalk.