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Optic Disc

The optic disc is the point inside the eye where the nerve that leads from the eye to the brain (optic nerve) leaves the eye. The inner part of the optic disc is a depression called the optic cup.

In people who have glaucoma, nerve fibers die, causing a loss of the nerve tissue inside the optic disc. As a result, the size of the optic cup appears larger.

Last Revised: February 28, 2012

Author: Healthwise Staff

Medical Review: Adam Husney, MD - Family Medicine & Christopher J. Rudnisky, MD, MPH, FRCSC - Ophthalmology

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