What are photoreceptors?

Before you read this post, you might find it useful to check out my previous post on what a receptor is.


Photoreceptors are light receptors in your eye. Light enters through your pupil. Your eye cleverly adjusts the amount of light which enters the eye using the muscles of the iris.


The light rays are then focussed onto the retina (part of the eye which lines the inside of the eye). The retina contains photoreceptor cells which detect light - from here the light is pretty much turned into messages sent to your brain. One part of the retina - the fovea, contains lots of photoreceptors. Nerve impulses are sent from the photoreceptor cells to the brain via the optic nerve (a bundle of neurones).