What is Iridology?

Iridology is the study and interpretation of patterns in the human iris as indicator of individual characteristics. Conventional Iridology seeks to identify both specific and general conditions of various organ systems in the body. A related field of inquiry, which studies the behavioral and personality interpretation from the iris (along with bioenergetic modes of polarity-balancing therapies) is Rayid, a system of analysis whose methodology is distinct and separate from conventional Iridology. Traditionally, Iridology has been primarily concerned with the identification of body system and organ status, whereas Rayid is primarily used to identify personality and behavioral properties. In both fields it is generally understood that these models serve to identify only the more general or constitutional traits, and that short-term fluctuations in the health status of mind or body do not have detectable signs in the iris. The Rayid model is associated with a range of specific natural healing methods which approach the health building process at the mental-emotional levels (after taking care of general cleansing and nutrition). More recently the differences are diminishing as Iridologists are studying personality factors in the constitution and Rayid practitioners are identifying body factors with views beyond the iris and working with specific nutritional programs. Meanwhile, Rayid has been integrating non-iris genetic factors such as birth-order parameters and grandparent energetics for use in identification and correction of energy imbalances. Iridology and Rayid are different interpretive models for identifying individual traits from patterns in the iris. Collectively these models along with any other iris correlate model are referred to as Iris Analysis.

-- Jon (jon@milesresearch.com), March 30, 1999

Answers

I can agree with these comments but want to point out that the use of 'transparent' to describe normal iris is debatable at best; The functional purpose of the iris is to create an annular opacity (a pupil), and the posterior pigment epithelium appears ideal to serve this purpose. In the case of iris dystrophy such as cyclitis (and iridocyclitis), there is a loss of opacity; patches of translucency (seen on iris transillumination).

I have a video clip of an iridectomy on a brown iris. It shows the center of the brown iris is actually white, the darkness is only on the outer layer. I will post some frames.

-- Jon (jon@milesresearch.com), January 17, 2000.

Before I contribute an answer, let me introduce myself: My name is Dan and my performance is to have graduated from a Medical School with a thesis about iris studies, back in 1984. Excerpts from the thesis were published in *Medical Hypotheses in 1987. This thread is the best i've seen so far in the iridology and ophthalmology trades and I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute here. Now to the point:

The definition of iridology is elegant, precise and specialized. But it's not focused and it's not comprehensive. Things are really simpler from physiological standpoints: The iris is transparent.

Controlled iris transparence is essential to the point that it determines a whole, previously unknown function of the therian eye. It occurs in a myriad of instances, including functional states, changing health status, specific diseases, and during drug treatments.

The key factor in determining the pattern of iris transparence (PIT) is not pigmentation, which, if interesting, is sterotypical. The key is why it happens in the first place. Well, for projections of light to take place. And where that? To the peripheral retina, that's where, namely in the structure known as the ora serrata retinae.

Here, 70 to 80 protrusions of multilayered retinal tissue, called processi dentati advance towards the anterior pole, align themselves in the axes of the ciliary valleys and collectively point towards regional accidents in the iris stroma. The whole system acts as a peripheral, non-visual phototransducer the details of which are at http://www.iris-ward.com/Theory.htm.

Overall, the body happens to code functional states into iris transparency patterns. These patterns are pojected and phototransduced on a continuous basis, until the "perturbation" is dealed with, in homeastatic terms. Here lies the beauty of iris studies.

Now you are probably aware of the fact that ophthalmologists mostly hate iridologists, and iridologists have an undeserved status problem to say the least. Maybe "iris studies" will allow everybody in this fantastic field to just sit and talk together :)

-- Dr Dan Waniek, MD (irismeister@iris-ward.com), November 09, 1999.