What is Iridiology?

Iridiology is a practice of alternative medicine whereby diseases of the body and personality traits are determined by examining the patterns, colours and structures in the iris of the eye. The word "iridology" comes from Greek iris (rainbow, the coloured part of the eye), and logos (study).

The practice of iridology traces back to the early 18th century. There is no good scientific evidence that supports the concepts, theories, or practices of iridology. No clinical evidence supports the effectiveness of iridology for therapeutic or diagnostic purposes, and it has been criticized by the medical community as scientifically invalid and as quackery.

There is no scientific evidence that the markings on the iris correlate to any specific health conditions. While some iridologists claim that they can diagnose the patient’s entire medical condition by examining their eyes, there is no proof of this.

Iridologists state that the iris contains information about a patient’s health because the iris is formed from the same embryonic tissue that develops into the central nervous system, which includes the brain and spinal cord. It is true that the iris develops from a similar tissue to that of the central nervous system, but that does not mean it contains information about one’s health.

Iridology has no basis in science. There is no evidence that the iris can provide any information about a person's health. In fact, many studies have shown that iridologists cannot accurately diagnose diseases by looking at the iris.