Criticism Of Iridology
Iridology or iris diagnosis as it is often called makes the strange claim
that every part of a body has a representative area in iris or the colored
portion of eyes surrounding the pupil. This school of belief holds that
diagnosis of an individual’s health and health related problems can be made on
the basis of the texture, color, and location of different pigments in eyes.
Medical doctors are mostly against the legitimacy of iridology and all its
branches, dismissing them as nothing more than pseudoscience and quackery.
Iridologists are almost never physicians. The study of iridology therefore is
confined to private institutions with mainstream medical schools refusing to
acknowledge it.
The glaring lack of scientific evidence and the very public factionalism in
the iridology school of thought are the favorite targets by critics in
denouncing it as mere folklore. Iridology is equated to being a worthless
diagnostic tool in the mildest criticism while the harshest allegation paints it
as false diagnoses with plenty of anxiety for patients in their hope of a
physician disproving the disease they were never really afflicted by.
It has also been highlighted that the essence of iridology is in direct
contradiction with the contention that no changes occur in the iris in the life
of an individual. Iris texture being a phonotypical feature develops during
gestation, remaining unaltered from birth.
Opponents of iridology use an argument similar to the one attacking other
alternative practices.
- Incorrect diagnoses occur frequently causing great concern to patients
and delaying the diagnosis and treatment of more genuine medical afflictions
such as cancer.
- The misconception about the practice results in time and money of the
patient being wasted.
There are no proofs on changes in the iris pattern with the exception of
pigmentation variations during the first year after birth, eventual freckles and
changes resulting from glaucoma treatment. The stability of iris structure forms
the base for iris recognition for identification purposes.
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