Optic vesicle

The eyes begin to develop as a pair of diverticula from the lateral aspects of the forebrain. These diverticula make their appearance before the closure of the anterior end of the neural tube ; after the closure of the tube they are known as the optic vesicles. Previous studies of optic vesicles suggest that the surrounding extraocular tissues - the surface ectoderm and extraocular mesenchyme - are necessary for normal eye growth and differentiation.Head of chick embryo of about thirty-eight hours’ incubation, viewed from the ventral surface. X 26 The eyes begin to develop as a pair of diverticula from the lateral aspects of the forebrain. These diverticula make their appearance before the closure of the anterior end of the neural tube ; after the closure of the tube they are known as the optic vesicles. Previous studies of optic vesicles suggest that the surrounding extraocular tissues - the surface ectoderm and extraocular mesenchyme - are necessary for normal eye growth and differentiation. They project toward the sides of the head, and the peripheral part of each expands to form a hollow bulb, while the proximal part remains narrow and constitutes the optic stalk. This article incorporates text in the public domain from page 1001 of the 20th edition of Gray's Anatomy (1918)