The photoreceptors can receive all kinds of visible light which is translated to the bioelectrical signal for the visual cortex. The function would be simulated by the photoelectric effect. This paper studies the dynamic characteristics of FitzHugh-Nagumo neurons coupled with a phototube. In the parameter space of phototube, the synchronization region of the coupled system in which the neuron mode is in chaos and burst, is discussed in detail; the data show that the forced resonance is prominent in the complete synchronization of the system when the coupling strength is low, while the phase synchronization is observed in numerical experiment when the coupling strength is strong. The active operation of the phototube, as well the inverse cutoff voltage can modulate the synchronization of the system. Our work can be used to understand the mechanism of the retinal diseases, such as macular degeneration.