Anatomy of the Visual Pathways

The optic pathway, or visual system, conveys sensory information from the retina in the globe to the visual cortex in the occipital lobe. The globe is the primary visual sensory organ responsible for gathering and focusing light and sending electrical and neural signals to the rest of the visual pathway. In the posterior globe, the retina detects incoming light from the environment and converts it into electrical and neural signals that travel along the optic nerve to be processed by the brain for visual perception. Disruptions in the optic pathway and associated clinical signs provide diagnostic information about underlying diseases.