According to literary records, Iridology has been studied for at least 300 years. However it was not structured in a systemic and detailed way until around 150 years ago. Today, this form of diagnosis is used primarily by chiropractors, nutritionists and herbalists as it has not been widely accepted by the scientific and medical communities.

Iridology is an extremely controversial form of complementary medicine. It is the study and interpretation of patterns in the human iris as an indicator of individual characteristics. It is a preventive, diagnostic method that allows the practitioner to "read" what is happening in the eyes, and thus the body, long before the appearance of any symptoms. The eyes are not only the mirrors of the soul, but also of the body. It is possible, with a diagnostic "reading" of the iris to discover all the weaknesses of a person, the latent tendencies, a persons vitality, the condition of his organs and many others pathologies in progress.

Iridology is based on the belief that every organ within the body has a corresponding location within the iris and a practitioner can ascertain whether an organ is healthy or unhealthy just by examining the iris rather than the organ itself.

The iris is the only living tissue in the body that is easily seen in ambient light and so it is for this very reason that iridologists claim that studying the iris should be used for both the treatment and diagnosis of illnesses within the body. The iris is linked to the rest of the body through the sympathetic nervous system which dilates the pupil to allow more light into the eye as part of the fight-or-flight response. Iridologists use this behaviour (contracting and dilating) to justify their belief that the general conditions of the body, its organs and systems and their performance are reflected in the changing patterns of the iris.

Iridology can not diagnose any specific diseases. It can however highlight the systems and organs in the body that are healthy, and those which are not. For example, overactive or inflamed tissues/organs. These may point to a tendency in the patient towards certain illnesses, reflect past medical problems, or predict health problems which may be developing.

No one knows for sure when Iridology started but Dr. Ignatz von Peczely, a 19th century Hungarian physician is believed to be the promoter of this science. He got the idea for this diagnostic tool when he saw a dark streak in the eyes of a man with a broken leg. This patient reminded him of a similar dark streak in the eyes of an owl whose leg he broke as a child. After he nursed the owl back to health, he noticed that there was a fine white line on the same spot where the black spot used to be. He later then discovered that this white line indicated tissue healing. Peczely then went on to document the similarities in the eye markings and illnesses in his patients, using the image of a clock face as the basis of his iridology charts.

In 1893, Nils Liljequist published over 258 drawings in an atlas depicting his interpretation of the iris/body connection. His interest was sparked when at the age of 14 he became seriously ill and after being given some drugs he noticed a change in his iris colour. Many years later, Liljequist broke a few of his ribs and again he noticed some colour changes occur in his iris. Surprisingly the two mens charts were very similar and they had not even met each other.

Iridology became popular in the US in the 1950’s when an American chiropractor by the name of Bernard Jensen published his own set of charts. A dominant theme in his protocol was to facilitate outflow from the body of all waste materials through the five main eliminatory channels. This approach includes allowing and encouraging catarrhal release rather than suppressing it as an unwanted symptom. By combining iris interpretations with dietary and detoxification approaches to health, Jensen made iridology a practical and useful tool in a clinic situation.

What it can show and can’t show

Iridology can show :
Constitutional strengths; Health level; Inherent strengths and weaknesses; Nutritional and chemical needs; Location of environmentally acquired toxins; Condition of the nervous system; How the body is healing-reveals the bodies response to treatment; Acid/catarrh level in the body; Overall health of a person

Iridology doesn’t:
Name specific diseases; Reveal regnancy (as this is a normal condition within the body); Reveal presence of gallstones; Tell what type of accident a person was involved in (only that there is tissue damage); Tell specific pathology; Pinpoint the location of parasites, germ life or bacterial invasions.

The limitations of iridology exist primarily in the lack of rigorous scientific research that validate the accuracy of diagnosis. Sometimes it has been used in a non technical way and often by amateurs who have not undergone any real type of formal training. Also the lack of scientific and professional conduct among some iridologists has contributed to the belief that iridology is a bunch of nonsense. Rigorous research protocol is necessary in the future in order for iridology to be taken seriously as a field that merits scientific inquiry.

Iridology is a simple, quick, painless and economical method which helps the practitioner to discover any constitutional weaknesses within a person long before its clinical outbreak. It is the unique method that allows us to define the degree of stress and the condition of a person’s health, panoramically, only with a look. Consequently, Iridology is precious as a form of diagnosis. However, the practice of iridology should not be used alone but in conjunction with other medical sciences and holistic therapies to gain full benefit from it.

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