Glossary

Photoreceptors

Photoreceptors are light-sensitive sensory cells in the retina. There is a distinction between rods and cones. The cones have got the highest density in the centre of the retina, in peripheral areas the rods are prevailing. The cones are responsible for colour and contrast vision in daylight. The rods, which are much more photosensitive (approx. 10.000 times) and more numerous are important for vision in the dark. When photoreceptors are stimulated by light, they generate electrical signals, which are transmitted to other nerve cells within the retina.