1) One of the two photoreceptor cell types in the vertebrate retina. In cones the photopigment is in invaginations of the cell membrane of the outer segment. Cones are less sensitive to light than rods, but they provide vision with higher spatial and temporal acuity, and the combination of signals from cones with different pigments allows color vision.

2) Type of specialized light-sensitive cell (photoreceptor) in the retina of the eye that provides sharp central vision and color vision.