What do the cones contain

The disks in the outer segments (to the right) are where photoreceptor proteins are held and light is absorbed. Rods have a protein called rhodopsin and cones have photopsins. But wait…these are stuck in the back of the retina. That means that the light is absorbed closer to the outside of the eye.

The retina of the eye has two types of light-sensitive cells called rods and cones, both found in layer at the back of your eye which processes images. Cones are cone shaped structures and are required for bright light (day light) vision.

Like the rod visual pigment rhodopsin, which is responsible for scotopic vision, cone visual pigments contain the chromophore 11-cis-retinal, which undergoes cis-trans isomerization resulting in the induction of conformational changes of the protein moiety to form a G protein-activating state.

Rods are responsible for vision at low light levels (scotopic vision). They do not mediate color vision, and have a low spatial acuity. Cones are active at higher light levels (photopic vision), are capable of color vision and are responsible for high spatial acuity. The central fovea is populated exclusively by cones.