An MRI of the head, also known as an MRI of the head, usually scans the optic nerve area. If a patient undergoes a head MRI, the scan includes the optic nerve area. However, if a patient needs an MRI because of suspected lesions of the optic nerve, an MRI of the orbit is recommended. A head MRI alone has large spacing between each section and does not show tiny lesions on the optic nerve very well. An orbital MRI has a smaller spacing between each layer of the scan and is able to show finer images and detect smaller optic nerve lesions. The exact type of test that is needed is determined by the doctor after the patient’s face-to-face examination.