There are seven basic stages to visual perception:

1. Light is emitted from a source (sun, bulb) and is reflected by objects in the environment (a table, a tree, etc.), and is modified by these objects, so the light then carries information about those objects it has come in contact with; more about this later.

2. Light reflected from these objects enters the eye, and casts an image on the back of the eye (on the retina).

3. Light in this retinal image is absorbed by the photoreceptors (rods and cones), causing them to produce electrical signals.

4. These signals are transmitted to other nerve cells in the retina, which begin to do some simple analyses of the image.

5. From there, these processed signals make their way to the parts of the brain that are dedicated to visual perception.

6. The signals from these visual areas of the brain are sent to other parts of the brain (memory, etc.).

7. In a process that is still mysterious, these electrical nerve signals create your conscious perceptual experiences.