Plain English Meaning

The part of the brain at the back of your head that turns what your eyes pick up into pictures you can actually see and understand.

Full Definition

The occipital lobes are the rear-most regions of the brain, located at the back of the skull, where visual signals from the eyes are received and processed into recognizable images.

Context Anchor

Seen in night vision and eye anatomy discussions, where the FAA explains how vision is not just the eyes receiving light, but also the brain making sense of that information.

Derivation

From the Latin occiput, meaning 'back of the head' (ob- 'against' + caput 'head'). The name simply tells you where these brain regions sit — at the back of the skull, directly behind the eyes' visual pathway.

Why Pilots Care

Understanding this area explains why off-center viewing helps pilots see better at by sending to more sensitive parts of the .