What is iridology?

Overview

Hungarian physician Ignatz von Péczely invented the technique known as
iridology in the nineteenth century. After studying the iris, the part of the
eye that determines its color, Péczely suggested a direct
relationship between the markings in the iris and tissue changes and organ
function in the body.

Mechanism of Action

Iridology assumes that every organ in the human body is connected by nerve
impulses to a particular location in the iris. The health of an organ can be
predicted by examining patterns in the iris using a magnifying glass and a
flashlight, and then using computer analysis of photographs of the eye rather than
examining the organ itself to predict a person’s health.

Uses and Applications

Iridology claims that the patterns, structures, colors, and degrees of lightness or darkness in the iris reveal sites of irritation, injury, degeneration, or disease of specific tissues and organs. Levels of toxicity, and nutritional and chemical imbalances, can be observed. Appropriate action can then be taken to cleanse and strengthen the body.

Scientific Evidence

The medical profession recognizes that certain symptoms of nonocular disease (those diseases affecting a part of the body other than the eyes) can be detected by examination of the eye. Iridolgy goes much further by suggesting that the state of a particular organ in the human body, and not only disease symptoms, can be determined by looking at a particular section of the iris. Iridology charts divide the iris into zones and link each zone with different organs of the body.

Many rigorous double-blind tests have found no significance to the claims of iridology, mainly because the fundamental premise of iridology contradicts the medical observation that the iris does not undergo any substantial change during a person’s life. Research has indicated that the iris of each person is unique and virtually unchangeable.

In 1979, three prominent iridologists failed a scientific test in which they examined photographs of the irises of 143 people. The practitioners typically identified sick people as healthy and vice versa, with much disagreement among the findings of these practitioners. In the late 1980s, five Dutch iridologists failed to distinguish between thirty-nine people with gall bladder disease and thirty-nine healthy persons. In 2005, a well-known iridologist examined the photographs of the irises of 110 people, 68 of whom had common forms of cancer. He correctly diagnosed only 3 of the 68 people. In still other controlled experiments, iridologists have performed statistically no better than chance in determining the health of a person by examination of the iris.

Safety Issues

Although iridology is safe, the misinterpretation of the condition of organs by a practitioner of iridology can unnecessarily frighten people, lead them to spend money seeking medical care for nonexistent problems, or create a false sense of security that can defer or delay needed medical care if an actual health problem does exist.

Bibliography

Barrett, Stephen, and William T. Jarvis, eds. The Health Robbers: A Close Look at Quackery in America. Amherst, N.Y.: Prometheus Books, 1993.

Ernst, E. “Iridology: Not Useful and Potentially Harmful.” Archives of Ophthalmology 118 (2000): 120-121.

Jensen, Bernard. The Science and Practice of Iridology. 2 vols. Winona Lake, Ind.: Whitman, 2005.