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Place where optic nerve enters the eye; also called blind spot

User Maurycyt
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Final answer:

The optic disc is the anatomical region on the retina where the optic nerve enters the eye. It is also referred to as a blind spot because it lacks photoreceptors, rendering it insensitive to light. Our awareness of the blind spot is minimal thanks to the overlapping visual fields of our eyes and the brain's ability to 'fill in' the missing information.

Step-by-step explanation:

The place where the optic nerve enters the eye is known as the optic disc or the blind spot. This spot is found on the retina, where the axons from the retinal ganglion cells (RGC) converge and exit the eye, forming the optic nerve. This particular region lacks photoreceptors, hence it doesn't respond to incoming light, creating a blind spot in our visual field. However, we typically do not notice this blind spot because the visual fields of our two eyes overlap and our brain fills in the missing information. The blind spot is functionally significant because it marks the point where the optic nerve and blood vessels pass through the retina without interfering with the densely packed receptor field in the fovea that is crucial for sharp central vision.

User Steve Midgley
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