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Iridology, also known as iridodiagnosis^[1], is an alternative medicine practice in which patterns, colors, and other characteristics of the iris are examined for information about a patient's systemic health. Practitioners match their observations to iris charts which divide the iris into zones that correspond to specific parts of the human body. The eye, therefore, acts as a "window" into the body's state of health. Iridology is a practice that is not recognized by mainstream medicine. It has been suggested that Complementary and Alternative Medicine be merged into this article or section. ... The human iris The iris is the green/grey/brown area. ... Systemic Relating to, or affecting a particular body system; especially the nervous system. ...

The iris is the greenish-yellow area surrounding the transparent pupil (showing as black). The white outer area is the sclera, the central transparent part of which is the cornea.

Iridologists highlight systems and organs in the body that are healthy and those which are described as overactive, inflamed, or distressed. These may point to a tendency in the patient towards certain illnesses, to reflect past medical problems, or to predict health problems which may be developing. The iris of my eye. ... The iris of my eye. ... The human iris The iris is the green/grey/brown area. ... The human eye The pupil is the central transparent area (showing as black). ... Schematic diagram of the human eye. ... The cornea is the transparent front part of the eye that covers the iris, pupil, and anterior chamber, providing most of an eyes optical power [1]. Together with the lens, the cornea refracts light and, as a result, helps the eye to focus. ...

Since iridology is not a method of treatment, its practitioners have often studied other branches of alternative medicine, such as naturopathy, and used the study of the iris as a diagnostic first step.^{[citation needed]} Naturopathic medicine (also known as naturopathy) is a school of medical philosophy and practice that seeks to improve health and treat disease chiefly by assisting the bodys innate capacity to recover from illness and injury. ...

Methods

Iridologists generally use equipment such as a flashlight and magnifying glass, cameras or slit-lamp microscopes to examine a patient's irises for tissue changes, as well as features such as specific pigment patterns and "irregular stromal architecture". The markings and patterns are usually compared to an iris chart that correlates specific zones of the iris with specific parts of the body. Typical charts divide the iris into approximately 80-90 zones. For example, the zone corresponding to the kidney is often in the lower part of the iris just before 6 o'clock. However, iridologists use a number of different maps that do not necessarily agree with one another. Biological tissue is a collection of interconnected cells that perform a similar function within an organism. ...

According to iridologists, details in the iris reflect changes in the tissues of the corresponding body organs. One renowned practitioner, Dr. Bernard Jensen, puts it this way: "Nerve fibers in the iris respond to changes in body tissues by manifesting a reflex physiology that corresponds to specific tissue changes and locations."^[2] This means that a bodily condition will translate to a noticeable change in the appearance of the iris. For example, acute inflammatory, chronic inflammatory and catharral signs may indicate involvement, maintenance, or healing of corresponding distant tissues, respectively. Other features that iridologists look for are contraction rings and Klumpenzellen, which may indicate various other health conditions, as interpreted in context.

History

The first explicit description of iridological principles such as homolaterality (without using the word iridology) are found in Chiromatica Medica, a famous work published in 1665 and reprinted in 1670 and 1691 by Philippus Meyeus (Philip Meyen von Coburg). 1665 (MDCLXV) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 10-day slower Julian calendar). ... 1670 was a common year beginning on a Saturday in countries using the Julian calendar and a Wednesday in countries using the Gregorian calendar. ... Events March 5 - French troops under Marshal Louis-Francois de Boufflers besiege the Spanish-held town of Mons March 20 - Leislers Rebellion - New governor arrives in New York - Jacob Leisler surrenders after standoff of several hours March 29 - Siege of Mons ends to the city’s surrender May 6...

This is an example of an iridology chart, correlating areas of the left iris, as seen in the mirror, with portions of the left hand side of the body. Changes in color or appearance of the iris are said to indicate changes in the health of the corresponding section of the body.

This is the corresponding chart for the right iris which relates to the right hand side of the body.

The first use of the word Augendiagnostik ("eye diagnosis," loosely translated as iridology) began with Ignatz von Péczely, a 19th-century Hungarian physician. The most common story is that he got the idea for this diagnostic tool after seeing similar streaks in the eyes of a man he was treating for a broken leg and the eyes of an owl whose leg von Péczely had broken many years before. At the First International Iridological Congress of Iridology, Ignaz von Péczely's nephew, August von Péczely, dismissed this myth as an apocryphal, and maintained that such claims were irreproducible. An iris chart used in iridology, left iris as viewed reflected in the mirror. ... An iris chart used in iridology, left iris as viewed reflected in the mirror. ... An iris chart used in iridology, right iris as viewed reflected in the mirror. ... An iris chart used in iridology, right iris as viewed reflected in the mirror. ...

German contribution in the field of natural healing (in German: Naturheilkunde) is due to a minister Pastor Felke, who developed a form of homeopathy for treating specific illnesses and described new iris signs in the early 1900s. However, Pastor Felke was subject to long and bitter litigation. The Felke Institute in Gerlingen, Germany was established as a leading center of iridologic research and training. It has been suggested that this article be split into multiple articles. ...

Iridology became popular in the United States in the 1950s, when Bernard Jensen, an American chiropractor, began giving classes in his own method. This is in direct relationship with P. Johannes Thiel, Eduard Lahn (becoming an American under the name of Edward Lane) and J Haskell Kritzer. Jensen insisted on the body's exposure to toxins, and the use of natural foods as detoxifiers. Dr. Bernard Jensen (March 25, 1908 - February 22, 2001) was a chiropractor, entrepreneur and author of numerous books and articles on health and healing. ...

Few medical researchers managed to secure funding to study the possible non-visual functions of the eye. In a paper published in Medical Hypotheses (Waniek^[3], 1987), one group tried to explain the observed patterns of iris transparency that distribute light into the ora serrata (the edge of the optic retina) by postulating a functio ocularis systemica. Based on this hypothesis, the researchers have developed the experimental trans-iridal light therapy method; however, no other confirmation of the theory and method exists to date. Other results from the mentioned research include early attempts at computerized iris imaging for the purpose of iridologic diagnosis (Popescu et al.^[4], 1986) . Human eye cross-sectional view. ...

Support for iridology

Practitioners of iridology point to the following benefits of iridology:

1. Their examination is non-invasive. The only thing patients have to tolerate is light being shone in the eyes.
2. Iridologists aim to keep the patient well. They try to discover imbalances or weaknesses in the body before they develop into serious medical problems. Some diseases, such as cancer, have been identified long before the disease was identifiable to "modern" practioners of mainstream medicine.^{[citation needed]}

The term non-invasive in medicine has two meanings: A medical procedure which does not penetrate or break the skin or a body cavity, i. ...

Criticism of iridology

The majority of medical doctors reject all the claims of all branches of iridology en bloc and label them as pseudoscience or even quackery. Iridologists are rarely physicians. Iridology can only be studied at private institutions, and it is not taught in mainstream medical schools. The Doctor by Samuel Luke Fildes This article is about the term physician, one type of doctor; for other uses of the word doctor see Doctor. ... Phrenology is regarded today as a classic example of pseudoscience. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Critics, mostly practitioners of mainstream medicine, dismiss iridology largely because published studies have indicated a lack of success for its claims. The proposed correlation between illness in the body and coinciding observable changes in the iris is unsupported by clinical data. In controlled experiments ^[5], practitioners of iridology have performed statistically no better than chance in determining the presence of a disease or condition solely through observation of the iris. (See the scientific method page for details of how modern scientific theories are suggested and tested.) Scientific method is a body of techniques for investigating phenomena and acquiring new knowledge, as well as for correcting and integrating previous knowledge. ...

It has been pointed out that the premise of iridology is at odds with the notion that the iris does not undergo changes in an individual's life. Iris texture is a phenotypical feature which develops during gestation and remains unchanged after birth. There is no evidence for changes in the iris pattern other than variations in pigmentation in the first year of life, eventual freckles and variations caused by glaucoma treatment. This stability of iris structures is at the foundation of iris recognition for identification purposes^[6][7]. The phenotype of an individual organism is either its total physical appearance and constitution, or a specific manifestation of a trait, such as size or eye color, that varies between individuals. ... Gestation is the carrying of an embryo or fetus inside a female viviparous animal. ... Freckles are small brownish spots of melanin on human skin in people of fair complexion, predominantly found on the face. ... Iris recognition is one of the most accurate methods of biometric identification. ...

Similar to criticism which has been leveled at other alternative practices, skeptics claim the practice of iridology: It has been suggested that Complementary and Alternative Medicine be merged into this article or section. ...

1. Often leads to incorrect diagnoses which may frighten patients and delay the diagnosis and treatment of true medical problems (e.g. a patient suffering from cancer).
2. Is an ineffective practice that wastes patients' time and money.

Scientific research into iridology

Scientific research into iridology has shown mostly, but not entirely, negative results. However, all double blinded, rigorous tests of iridology have failed to find any statistical significance to iridology. The Double blind method is an important part of the scientific method, used to prevent research outcomes from being influenced by the placebo effect or observer bias. ...

In a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (Simon et al.^[8], 1979), three iridologists incorrectly identified kidney disease in photographs of irises and often disagreed with each other. The researchers concluded: "iridology was neither selective nor specific, and the likelihood of correct detection was statistically no better than chance."

Another study was published in the British Medical Journal (Knipschild^[9], 1988). Paul Knipschild MD, of the University of Limburg in Maastricht, selected 39 patients who were due to have their gall bladder removed the following day, because of suspected gallstones. He also selected a group of people who did not have diseased gall bladders to act as a control. A group of 5 iridologists examined a series of slides of both groups irises. The iridologists were not able to identify correctly which patients had gall bladder problems and which had healthy gall bladders. For example one of iridologists diagnosed 49% of the patients with gall stones as having them and 51% as not having them. He diagnosed 51% of the control group as having gall bladder problems and 49% as not. Dr Knipschild concluded: "this study showed that iridology is not a useful diagnostic aid." Iridologists defended themselves with the same considerations as above, but also attacked the methodology of the study.

Ernst^[5], 2000, said: "Does iridology work? [...] This search strategy resulted in 77 publications on the subject of iridology. [...] All of the uncontrolled studies and several of the unmasked experiments suggested that iridology was a valid diagnostic tool. Such investigations are wide open to bias. The discussion that follows refers to the 4 controlled, masked evaluations of the diagnostic validity of iridology. [...] In conclusion, few controlled studies with masked evaluation of diagnostic validity have been published. None have found any benefit from iridology. As iridology has the potential for causing personal and economic harm, patients and therapists should be discouraged from using it."

Regulation, licensure, and certification

In Canada and the United States, iridology is not regulated or licensed by any governmental agency. Numerous organizations offer certification courses.

References

Related practices

• Eyology
• Sclerology

Eyology is a term that encompasses the various iridologies (physical iridology, personality iridology, etc. ... Sclerology is an alternative medicine practice in which the sclera is examined for information about a patients systemic health. ...

See also

• Ophthalmology
• Optometry
• Eye examination
• Iris scan
• Kayser-Fleischer ring

This does not cite its references or sources. ... Optometry (Greek: optos meaning seen or visible and metria meaning measurement) is the health care profession concerned with examination, diagnosis, and treatment of the eyes and related structures and with determination and correction of vision problems using lenses and other optical aids [1]. An optical refractor (also called a phoropter... Traditional Snellen chart used for visual acuity testing. ... An iris scan is one of the most currently used methods of biometric authentication. ... Kayser-Fleischer rings are pigmented rings in the peripheral cornea, resulting from copper deposition in Descemets membrane. ...

External links

Pro

• Western Medicine looks at Iridology ... by Bill Caradonna R.Ph. (Several more rebuttals of official critics of iridology are found at the same resource online.)
• Is the Iris a Receptor? by Vincenzo Di Spazio (2000)
• Iridology by Dr Lisa Niebergall
• Celestial Healing site about iridology (source of the iris charts used in this article)
• Canadian Journal of the Science and Practice of Iridology (a good resource, no longer available as hard print)
• Canadian Neuro-Optic Research Institute (Canada)
• The Israeli center for Advanced Multidimensional Iridology. (Israel)

Con

• The Skeptics Dictionary
• Iridology (small PDF file duplicating Knipschild and Simon data, with no independent additions, but with valuable illustrations)

Organizations

• Felke Institute, Training and Books in Germany