Eye

The optic nerve connects the eye to the brain. These fibers of the optic nerve run from the surface of the retina and converge at exit at the optic disc (or blind spot), an area about 0.06 in (1.5 mm) in diameter located at the lower posterior portion of the retina. The fibers of this nerve carry electrical impulses from the retina to the visual cortex in the occipital lobe of the cerebrum. If the optic nerve is severed, vision is lost permanently.

The last two decades have seen an explosion in ophthalmic research. Today, 90% of corneal blindness can be rectified with a corneal transplant, the most frequently performed of all human transplants. Eye banks receive eyes for sight-restoring corneal transplantation just as blood banks receive blood for life-giving transfusions. Many people remain blind, however, because of the lack of eye donors.