results in development of cranial nerve development optic nerve development CN II development The process whose specific outcome is the progression of the optic nerve over time, from its formation to the mature structure. The sensory optic nerve originates from the bipolar cells of the retina and conducts visual information to the brainstem. The optic nerve exits the back of the eye in the orbit, enters the optic canal, and enters the central nervous system at the optic chiasm (crossing) where the nerve fibers become the optic tract just prior to entering the hindbrain. GO:0021554 biological_process cranial nerve II development cranial nerve 2 development anatomical structure development cranial nerve II