Chiasma opticum

The optic chiasm, or optic chiasma is the part of the brain where the optic nerves cross.

It is located at the bottom of the brain immediately inferior to the hypothalamus.

The optic chiasm is found in all vertebrates, although in cyclostomes (lampreys and hagfishes), it is located within the brain.

This article is about the optic chiasm of vertebrates, which is the best known nerve chiasm, but not every chiasm denotes a crossing of the body midline (e.g., in some invertebrates, see Chiasm (anatomy)).

A midline crossing of nerves inside the brain is called a decussation (see Definition of types of crossings).