What type of cells are responsible for detecting light in the retina?

Photoreceptors are specialized cells in the retina that are responsible for detecting light. They come in two main types: rods and cones. Rods are highly sensitive to light and are primarily responsible for vision under low-light conditions, while cones are less sensitive and are responsible for color vision and visual acuity in brighter light.

Bipolar cells serve as intermediaries between photoreceptors and ganglion cells, processing the signals generated by photoreceptors but not directly participating in light detection themselves. Ganglion cells transmit visual information from the retina to the brain, while horizontal cells are involved in lateral inhibition to enhance visual contrast but do not detect light directly. Therefore, photoreceptors are the correct answer, as they are the primary light-sensitive cells in the retina.