Anatom3DOptic chiasm
Chiasma opticum · Zkřížení zrakových nervů
Nervous system
Looks like
An X-shaped crossing of the two optic nerves just above the pituitary gland, under the front of the brain.
What it does
Fibres from the inner half of each retina cross here, so each side of the brain sees the opposite half of the world.
Keeping it well
A pituitary tumour pressing from below takes out the outer side vision of both eyes. Such vision loss needs an eye test and MRI.
Related conditions
- Amyloidosis (AL and ATTR)
- Botulism
- Chickenpox (varicella)
- Chronic neuropathic pain
- Chronic pain syndrome
- Fibromyalgia
- Glaucoma
- Guillain-Barré syndrome
- Idiopathic intracranial hypertension
- Lyme disease
- Multiple sclerosis
- Myasthenia gravis
- Neurofibromatosis type 1
- Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder
- Peripheral neuropathy
- Pituitary adenoma
- Rabies
- Restless legs syndrome
- Shingles (herpes zoster)
- Tetanus
- Vitamin B1, C and other deficiencies