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| Rod cell | |
|---|---|
 Cross section of the retina. Rods are visible at far right. | |
| Details | |
| Location | Retina |
| Shape | Rod-shaped |
| Function | Low-light photoreceptor |
| Neurotransmitter | Glutamate |
| Presynaptic connections | None |
| Postsynaptic connections | Bipolar cells and horizontal cells |
| Identifiers | |
| MeSH | D017948 |
| NeuroLex ID | nlx_cell_100212 |
| TH | H3.11.08.3.01030 |
| FMA | 67747 |
| Anatomical terms of neuroanatomy | |
Rod cells are photoreceptor cells in the retina of the eye that can function in lower light better than the other type of visual photoreceptor, cone cells. Rods are usually found concentrated at the outer edges of the retina and are used in peripheral vision. On average, there are approximately 92 million rod cells (vs ~6 million cones) in the human retina.[1] Rod cells are more sensitive than cone cells and are almost entirely responsible for night vision. However, rods have little role in color vision, which is the main reason why colors are much less apparent in dim light.