NEUROLOGY OF VISION

VISUAL PATHWAYS


Visual stimuli originating in the retina pass to brain in optic nerve .Fibres orginating from the retina nasal to vertical line through the foveola decussate in the optic chiasm and joins axons from the contralateral temporal retina in the optic tract.This synapse in the lateral geniculate body and axons from lateral geniculate body pass in the optic radiation to visual cortex in the occipital lobe

VISUAL PATHWAYS
Visual pathway consist of 1.Optic nerve 2.Optic chiasm 3.Optic tract 4.Lateral geniculate body 5.Optic radiation 6.Visual cortex

OPTIC NERVE
Optic nerve is composed of axons of retinal ganglion cells  It extends from optic disc to the optic chiasm  It is divided into four portions 1.Intra ocular (1mm) 2.Orbital (30mm) 3.Intra canalicular (4 to 10mm)\ 10mm)\ 4.Intra cranial (10 mm )


OPTIC NERVE (contd)

1.INTRAOCULAR PORTION  It includes the optic disk and the portion of the optic nerve within the posterior scleral foramen  The optic disk is located about 3mm nasal to and 0.8mm above the foveola and is composed of axons of ganglion cells  Choroid and all layer of retina terminate at optic disk margin except the nerve fibre layer  As the photo sensitive rods and cones are absent this area is blind  Posterior to the optic disk the optic nerve fibres are myelinated whereas anterior to optic disk they are non myelinated  Optic disk has a diameter of 1.5 mm

OPTIC NERVE (contd)

2.ORBITAL PORTION OF OPTIC NERVE  It has an S shaped curve to permit movement of the eye  It is covered with dura matter, arachnoid matter and pia matter  The central retina artery and vein penetrate the optic nerve 12 mm behind the globe  At the apex of the orbit the optic nerve is surrounded by fibrous annulus from which the recti muscle orginate  Near the globe long and short ciliary arteries and nerves surround the optic nerve

OPTIC NERVE (contd)

3.INTRA CANALICULAR PORTION  The optic nerve pass through the optic foramen together with ophthalmic artery and sympathetic nerves  Within the optic canal the dura matter is adherent to bone , arachnoid and pia matter so the nerve is firmly fixed 4.INTRACRANIAL PORTION  It is 10 mm long and passes medially to form the chiasm.

OPTIC NERVE (contd)

  

BLOOD SUPPLY Intraocular portion is supplied by short posterior ciliary arteries Intra orbital portion Peripheral supply originate from the vessel of pia matter Central supply originate from central retinal artery Intracanalicular and intracranial portion of optic nerve are supplied by branches of internal carotid artery

OPTIC NERVE (contd)

STRUCTURE  Optic nerve contain 1.1 to 1.3 million afferent axons of ganglion cells subserving vision , pupillary reflex and ocular movements  Axons from ganglion cells of fovea may provide nearly 90% of axons of optic nerve  The nerve is composed of bundle of nerve fibres separated by septa that are continuous with the pia matter and carry minute blood vessels to the nerve  Nerve fibres are supported by astroglia and oligodendroglia

OPTIC CHIASM
 

Optic chiasm is about 13mm wide and 8mm thick It is situated at the junction of anterior wall and floor of 3rd ventricle RELATIONS Anteriorly anterior cerebral artery anterior communicating artery optic groove of sphenoid bone Posteriorly floor of third ventricle tuber cinereum Laterally internal carotid artery Inferiorly diaphragma sellae

OPTIC CHIASM (contd)



BLOOD SUPPLY By pial plexus derived from 1.Internal carotid artery 2.Posterior communicating artery 3.Anterior cerebral artery 4.Anterior communicating artery

OPTIC CHIASM ( contd)



 

Axons of the ganglion cells from the nasal portion of the retina decussate in the optic chiasm Axons from the inferior nasal retina are located in the anterior and inferior surface of chiasm Axons from the superior nasal retina are located in the posterior and superior surface of the chiasm Axons from the temporal portion of the retina passed as uncrossed fibres on same side optic chiasm

OPTIC TRACT


Extends from the chiasm to the lateral geniculate body It is composed of axons from ganglion cells of the nasal retina of opposite side and the temporal retina on the same side Majority of axons terminate in lateral geniculate body whereas small number continue to the superior colliculi and to the pretectal nucleus

OPTIC TRACT (contd)



The distribution of axons in the anterior portion of the optic tract is similar to that in the optic nerve except that the nasal axons are those that have crossed from the opposite side The axons are rapidly redistributed so that those from the corresponding parts of each retina became associated.

LATERAL GENICULATE BODY



  

It is small ovoid swelling on the under surface of the pulvinar of thalamus Axons of retinal ganglion cells that carry retinal impulses synapse in the lateral geniculate body LGB consist of dorsal and ventral nucleus Dorsal nucleus is composed of 6 cellular layers Cells in ventral layers 1 and 2 are larger and more uniform in size and shape than cells in the remaining four layers

LATERAL GENICULATE BODY (contd)

  

 

Axons from temporal retina on the same side synapse in layer 2 ,3, 5 Axons from nasal one half of the retina of opposite eye decussate in chiasm and terminate in layer 1,4 and 6 Axons from the upper one half of the retina synapse in the medial portion of lateral geniculate body and axons from the lower half in the lateral portion The large cell ( magnocellular laminae that is layer 1 to 2 ) signals detection of movement and flicker. The small cell ( parvocellular laminae that is layers 3 to 6 ) appear to carry perception of colour, texture, shape and fine stereopsis.

OPTIC RADIATION


Optic radiation extends from lateral geniculate body to the superior and inferior lips of calcarine fissure Axons from the cells located in the lateral aspects of the lateral geniculate body represents the inferior retinal quadrant.They pass anteriorly around the tip of temporal horn of lateral ventrical to form the loop of Meyer.Damage to axons in this loop produces superior homonymous quadrantic field defects

OPTIC RADIATION (contd)



The axons of the temporal loop continue posteriorly to terminate in the inferior lip of calcarine fissure Axons from the cells located in the medial portion of lateral geniculate body represent the superior retinal quadrants and pass nearly directly through the parietal lobe to terminate in the superior lip of calcarine fissure

VISUAL CORTEX


The axons of cells located in the lateral geniculate body terminate along the superior and inferior lips of calcarine fissure This area is called striate cortex ( area 17 of Brodmann ) because of prominent band of geniculo calcarine fibres The upper half of each retina is represented on the superior part of each occipital cortex and the lower half covers the inferior part

VISUAL CORTEX


Fibres representing the central retina terminate at the tip of the posterior pole and more peripheral portion of the retina are represented more anteriorly Visual cortex is composed of 6 cell layers and most axons from the lateral geniculate body terminate in the layer 4