Final answer:
The correct answer to the primary visual pathway is d) retina → optic nerve → optic chiasm → thalamus → occipital lobe, involving the processing of visual signals from the retina to the primary visual cortex in the occipital lobe of the brain.
Step-by-step explanation:
The primary visual pathway can be best described as option d) retina → optic nerve → optic chiasm → thalamus → occipital lobe. This pathway starts with the retina, where light is converted into electrical signals by specialized cells known as ganglion cells. The signals then travel along the optic nerve and pass through the optic chiasm, which is a crucial point where visual information from the two eyes partially crosses to ensure that the left visual field is processed by the right hemisphere of the brain, and the right visual field by the left hemisphere.
Following the optic chiasm, the axons in the visual system become known as the optic tract, with a major component of these axons projecting to the lateral geniculate nucleus in the thalamus. The thalamus acts as a relay and processing station for the visual signals. Ultimately, the visual information then travels to the primary visual cortex in the occipital lobe at the back of the brain, where the visual signals are interpreted into meaningful perceptions.