Which cranial nerve is responsible for vision?

• A. Oculomotor nerve
• B. Optic nerve
• C. Trochlear nerve
• D. Abducens nerve

Answer: (B)

Vision is carried by the optic nerve, a sensory cranial nerve (cranial nerve II) that transmits visual information from the retina to the brain for processing. This nerve carries afferent signals from the photoreceptors to the visual cortex, enabling sight. The other nerves shown are motor nerves that control eye movement (oculomotor moves most eye muscles and also regulates pupil size and lens shape; trochlear controls the superior oblique; abducens controls the lateral rectus). They don’t convey visual signals themselves, which is why they don’t mediate vision. Damage to the optic nerve disrupts vision, while the others affect eye movements rather than sensory vision.