Our eyes don’t just take in the world around us, they are the proverbial windows to the soul. According to scientific research, the eyes reflect emotional states, influence memories, and measure cognitive processes. And advances in an alternate medicine practice known as Iridology have revealed that the eyes are clear windows or portholes to the body’s systemic health. Iridology is the art and science of analyzing colors, patterns, and markings in the iris of the eye. Reading an iris entails a non-invasive assessment that monitors:  1) inherent physical strengths and weaknesses; 2) levels of health and transitions taking place in the body due to poor lifestyle choices; and 3) individual personality traits.

Studying links between health and the colors, patterns, and textures of the iris began in the late nineteenth century with Hungarian neurologist, Dr. Ignatz von Peczely. Through the years, others contributed to the development of Iridology but it was Dr. Bernard Jenson, a Chiropractor and Nutritionist, who pioneered the science of Iridology in the U.S. and brought the art of interpreting iris signs into the twentieth century.

Iridology falls into the genre of Reflexology which is based on the concept that every organ and body system is mapped on the soles of the feet (and palms of the hands). Likewise, the iris is a topographical map of organs and body systems. Iris charts going back to 1886 resemble circular clock-faces showing the areas in the iris which correspond to different parts of the body. From the perspective of interpreting the iris, the eye resembles a tiny computer “screen, a surface that is displaying tissue integrity in other parts of the body.” Anatomically speaking, information about what is happening within organs, glands, and body tissues is transmitted via an estimated 500,000 nerve fibers which make up the optic nerve, the pathway that connects the eye to the brain.

In the Iridology assessment, the best way to check on overall body functioning is to “observe the many different colors, patches, spots, clouds, streaks, and circles visible in an iris, and to note which parts of the body (as set out in the iris chart) are deviating from the overall color pattern of the iris.”.  In terms of genetics, Jensen explains the only true iris colors are blue and brown. A green eye would actually be a mixed or biliary eye which is blue covered with yellow pigmentation. And the hazel-colored eye is a mixed or biliary eye or blue covered with brown-orange pigmentation. Jenson further notes that genetic “iris color can be influenced by drug accumulation and toxic chemical settlements in the body.”

Obtaining information from the irides can be accomplished quickly and painlessly.  A person with breathing issues may have dark wheel-like spokes in the iris between two and three o’clock; cases of stomach ailments usually have gray or white rings around the pupil. Fiber colors determine stages of inflammation and where overactive tissue activity is located in the body. Markings and signs include lymphatic and circulatory system indicators; spots/dots and lesions signaling organ weakness due to toxins; and nerve rings indicating stress overload. Calcium rings circling irides are created from poor diets and an acidic lifestyle; poor skin elimination is evidenced by a darkened area on the rim.

All assessments look for indicators of sluggish, spastic, pocketed, or ballooned bowel areas and how well nutrients are being assimilated.

As blueprints of human personality, the eyes seem to be so closely and neurologically linked to the brain that they would hold vital clues to emotions and behavior. A small, tight pupil indicates an artistic, introverted nature while a large pupil describes an extroverted and restless personality. Flattening on the top portion of the pupil depicts depression or hormone imbalances. Furthermore, many lesions and no spots/dots in an iris is synonymous with the extremely spontaneous and emotional persona. And a person who responds to life thoughtfully and analytically will have irides containing numerous spots/dots but no lesions.

Iridology is a holistic modality which assesses the relationships of systems within the body and where imbalances are located. Accordingly, your eyes are trying to tell you something. Iridology does not diagnose, cure, or treat. But it can be regarded as an invaluable tool in designing a plan that improves physical and emotional health and well-being.

Christel Haase holds a PH.D. in Holistic Health and Certification in Iridology and Reflexology. See ad on page 9.