Final answer:
Photoreceptors relay visual information to the brain through ganglion cells, after first synapsing with bipolar cells. The axons of ganglion cells form the optic nerve.
Step-by-step explanation:
Photoreceptors relay visual information to the brain through ganglion cells. Both rod and cone cells are types of photoreceptors. Rod cells are responsible for vision at low light levels, while cone cells are involved in color vision and function best in relatively bright light. However, the actual transmission of visual information to the brain is carried out by the ganglion cells. The process begins when photoreceptors change their membrane potential in response to light, then they release neurotransmitters onto bipolar cells. These bipolar cells, in turn, synapse with ganglion cells, whose axons join to form the optic nerve, which carries visual information to the brain.