The scientific validity and applications of iridology (the study of the iris to assess health conditions) and scleralogy (the study of the sclera for similar purposes) have been the subject of much research, the results of which have been inconclusive. The following are the most significant findings from recent studies in this field:

The evidence is as follows:

1. Technological Advancements in Iridology:

The advent of modern image processing and software techniques has led to a notable enhancement in the clarity of iris images and their subsequent analysis. This has enabled the establishment of associations between iridological signs and specific health conditions (Esteves et al., 2021).

2. Diagnostic Limitations of Iridology:

The results of controlled studies have demonstrated that iridology is an ineffective method for detecting conditions such as kidney disease. In many cases, the results fail to exceed the level of chance, and some researchers have even asserted that iridology has no medical value (Berggren, 1985; Simón et al., 1979).

3. Potential for Preventive Medicine:

Although its scientific basis is subject to criticism, proponents of iridology posit that it could play a role in preventive medicine if rigorous scientific methodologies are employed (Salles & Silva, 2008).

4. Iridology in Biomedical Engineering:

Techniques such as image preprocessing, segmentation, and machine learning have been investigated for the purpose of detecting specific conditions, including colon disorders and diabetes, through the use of iris features (Passarella et al., 2013; Adelina et al., 2017).

5. Applications in Specific Health Conditions:

Some research has indicated a correlation between iridological signs and gynecological diseases and genetic markers, suggesting the potential for niche diagnostics if properly validated (Lee et al., 2002; Um et al., 2005).

6. Criticism and Safety Concerns:

Iridology has been the subject of criticism on the grounds of a lack of empirical support and the potential for harm, including the possibility of delaying accurate diagnosis and treatment (Ernst, 2000).

References

1. Esteves, R.B., Morero, J.A., Pereira, S.D., Mendes, K.S., Hegadoren, K., and Cardoso, L., 2021. Parameters to increase the quality of iridology studies: A scoping review. European Journal of Integrative Medicine, 43, p.101311. DOI: 10.1016/J.EUJIM.2021.101311.

2. Simón, A., Worthen, D., and Mitas, J., 1979. An evaluation of iridology. JAMA, 242(13), pp.1385-1389. DOI: 10.1001/JAMA.1979.03300130029014.

3. Berggren, L., 1985. Iridology. Acta Ophthalmologica, 63. DOI: 10.1111/j.1755-3768.1985.tb05205.x.

4. Salles, L., and Silva, M.J.P., 2008. Iridology: a systematic review. Revista da Escola de Enfermagem da USP, 42(3), pp.596-600. DOI: 10.1590/S0080-62342008000300026.

5. Passarella, R., Erwin, E., Fachrurrozi, M., and Sutarno, S., 2013. Development of iridology system database for colon disorders identification using image processing. Proceedings of the International Conference on Advanced Science, 2, pp.100-103.

6. Adelina, D.C., Sigit, R., Harsono, T., and Rochmad, M., 2017. Identification of diabetes in pancreatic organs using iridology. 2017 International Electronics Symposium on Knowledge Creation and Intelligent Computing (IES-KCIC), pp.114-119. DOI: 10.1109/KCIC.2017.8228573.

7. Lee, B.R., Lee, J.E., Jung, J.H., Yoo, D., and Park, K.M., 2002. Study on the clinical application of Iridological Constitution to the Gynecological disease diagnose. Journal of Oriental Medicine, 15, pp.136-148.

8. Um, J., An, N., Yang, G., Lee, G., Cho, J.J., Cho, J.W., Hwang, W., Chae, H., Kim, H.R., and Hong, S.H., 2005. Novel approach of molecular genetic understanding of iridology: relationship between iris constitution and angiotensin converting enzyme gene polymorphism. The American Journal of Chinese Medicine, 33(3), pp.501-505. DOI: 10.1142/S0192415X05003090.

9. Ernst, E., 2000. Iridology: not useful and potentially harmful. Archives of Ophthalmology, 118(1), pp.120-121. DOI: 10.1001/ARCHOPHT.118.1.12