Cone Cell

A type of photoreceptor, it detects light and is responsible for providing fine detail, daylight and color vision.

Cone cells are cone-shaped photoreceptors that detect light for vision. Although cones are present throughout the retina, they are mainly found in the macula (the central portion of the retina). Cone cells are particularly important for color and day vision and discriminating fine visual detail, like that required for discerning facial features or reading a book. There are three types of cone cells (blue, green and red) that respond to different wavelengths of light to make up the full rainbow of colors.