Which nerve carries visual impulses from the photoreceptors to the brain?

The optic nerve carries visual impulses from the photoreceptors in the retina to the brain. Specifically, the photoreceptors (rods and cones) detect light and convert it into electrical signals. These signals are processed by other retinal neurons and ultimately transmitted via the optic nerve, which is composed of the axons of the retinal ganglion cells. The optic nerve travels from each eye to the optic chiasm, where some of the nerve fibers cross over to the opposite side of the brain, allowing visual information from both eyes to be processed together. After the optic chiasm, the visual information continues along the optic tracts to the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) of the thalamus and then to the primary visual cortex in the occipital lobe, where it is interpreted as visual images. This pathway is crucial for the perception of sight and understanding our visual environment.