photoreceptor

noun pho·to·re·cep·tor \ ˌfō-tō-ri-ˈsep-tər \

|Updated on: 4 Jul 2018

Definition of photoreceptor

: a receptor for light stimuli

Recent Examples of photoreceptor from the Web

With age people can develop macular degeneration (which is the light-sensitive nerve tissue in the eye), and using sunglasses may protect these photoreceptors from UV damage.

— adam hurly, GQ, "This Is Why You Need to Wear Sunglasses," 23 June 2018
Might have something to do with the way the photoreceptors in the eye work.

— adam rogers, WIRED, "The Fundamental Nihilism of Yanny vs. Laurel," 16 May 2018
These wavelength-sensitive photoreceptors were identified soon after and are known as melanopsin-containing ganglion cells.

— jessica schmerler, Scientific American, "Q&A: Why Is Blue Light before Bedtime Bad for Sleep?," 1 Sep. 2015
Macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa break down these photoreceptors.

— maya wei-haas, Smithsonian, "Could This Bionic Vision System Help Restore Sight?," 19 Oct. 2017
In addition to creating implantable bionic eyes—essentially robotic retinas—researchers have spent the past decade trying to transplant new photoreceptor cells into the retina to restore lost vision with some modest success.

— ben panko, Smithsonian, "These Blind Mice Just Got a Vision Boost Thanks to a New Transplant Technique. Could Blind Humans Be Next?," 11 Jan. 2017
Dr. Levy was fascinated by a class of photoreceptors known as cryptochromes.

— william j. broad, New York Times, "In Secrets of Coral Spawning, Hope for Endangered Reefs," 20 June 2016
Recent work from his lab preliminarily suggests that spiders of a related species, Maratus volans, have four different photoreceptors in their two big, beautiful principal eyes, making them what are known as tetrachromats.

— National Geographic, "How Peacock Spiders Get Their Bright Blue 'Butts'," 9 Aug. 2016

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'photoreceptor.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.