Which part of the visual system is responsible for sending visual information to the brain?

The optic nerve plays a crucial role in the visual system as it is responsible for transmitting visual information from the retina to the brain. When light enters the eye, it is focused on the retina, where the photoreceptors (rods and cones) detect light and convert it into electrical signals. These signals are then processed in various layers of the retina before being gathered by the ganglion cells. The axons of these ganglion cells form the optic nerve, which acts as a pathway carrying the electrical impulses to the visual cortex in the brain for interpretation.

In contrast, the retina is the site where visual information is initially captured, but it does not send the information to the brain itself. The lens focuses the light onto the retina, and while the cornea helps to bend the light entering the eye, neither of these structures is responsible for transmitting visual information to the brain. Therefore, the optic nerve is the correct and essential component in facilitating the communication of visual stimuli to the brain for processing.