Photoreceptors

The photoreceptor cells are responding to light and convert the light signal into electrical potential called phototransduction. The photoreceptors pass on the electrical potential to the bipolar cell, which pass on the signal to the ganglion cells.

There are two classic photoreceptor cells, rods and cones. Rods are active during low light emission (scotopic vision), responsible for night vision. They are low in spatial acuity and not sensitive to colour. Cones are the counterpart to rods, they are active during high light emission (photopic vision), sensitive to colour and have high spatial acuity. The retina has a mixture of rod and cones, par the fovea which only has cones situated in it. The fovea is situated in the centre of the retina and is a little pit which is responsible for vision acuity (Kolb, 1995).

Antibodies that label photoreceptor cells

Featured

Rhodopsin

Zpr-1

References

Kolb H, 1995. Photoreceptors, in: Kolb H, Fernandez E, Nelson R. (Eds.), Webvision: The Organization of the Retina and Visual System, Salt Lake City (UT).