Iris Diagnosis: A non-invasive diagnostic tool for musculo-skeletal disorders – a pilot

study

Bhavit Bhansal*, Ragavendrasamy Balakrishnan+

*BNYS Scholar, The School of Yoga and Naturopathic Medicine, S-VYASA, Bengaluru

+
Associate Professor, Anvesana Research Laboratories, S-VYASA, Bengaluru

INTRODUCTION

Musculo-skeletal disorders as a group of disorders is common self-limiting disorders which is

the leading cause of work-related disability among and women. Also, these musculoskeletal
disorders impact the quality of life, productivity and thereby the country’s economy as-well.
Commonly arthritis is associated with lifestyle disorders, demanding weight loss and diet
regulation.

Iris diagnosis is a relatively less explored science of diagnosing pathological conditions by

observing the changes in the Iris. Iris is the only externally visible organ that has common
embryological origins from two of the three germ layers. It is believed that due to the
common origins, each organ developing from the same germ layer will have nervous
connections. In this way, through years of systematic observations, charts demonstrating the
representation of various organs in the Iris have been brought out. However, very less
scientific evidence is available to test the validity and reliability of Iris diagnosis. This study
was conducted with an objective to understand the common changes in Iris in humans with
musculoskeletal disorders and to assess the possibility of using Iris diagnosis as a cost
effective tool for diagnosing Musculo-skeletal disorders.

Methodology:
Thirty-four subjects, both male and female of age 50.39±13.92 years already diagnosed with
musculo-skeletal disorders were recruited for the study following obtaining a signed written
informed consent. The study was approved by the Institutional Ethical Committee. Patients
who had associated or past history of psychological illness, use of medications that could
modify mood and cognition, addicted to alcohol, tobacco or any habit forming drugs in any
form were excluded from the study.
The iris signs were manually marked on the Iris chart following careful examination using a
magnification lens and sufficient lighting. The lighting direction and intensity were
maintained constant while assessing all the subjects to minimize observation bias. Pain
Detect questionnaire (REF) was used to assess the joints having pain and determine the type
of pain.
The iris signs noted from each subject were tabulated taking into consideration the major and
minor zones and the organ position as indicated by Theodore Kriege.
Results:
The data from the questionnaire was analysed as recommended (ref). The Subjective
responses using pain detect questionnaire indicated that 90% of patients had nociceptive pain.
All the patients with pain due to musculo-skeletal disorders had distended Autonomic Nerve
Wreath in the 2nd Minor Zone in areas corresponding to the stomach and intestines. White
cloud and nerve rings were seen in 50% of subjects. In 75% patients with knee pain, closed
lacunae were observed in the area corresponding to the knee. Finer changes specific to the
presenting conditions were also observed. Even though, the sample size is lesser, consistent
patterns representing the pathological conditions in the iris are noted.

Sl. No Location of pain Sign in Iris % commonality

1. General observation Distended ANW in stomach & 100%
intestine area
White cloud in ciliary margin 50%
Nerve ring in 6th minor zone 50%
4. Knee pain Closed lacunae in the knee and 70%
leg areas
5. Back pain Closed lesion in back / hip areas 70%
6. Neck pain Closed lesion in the neck area 60%

Discussion:
The present pilot study was conducted with an objective to assess the applicability of Iris
diagnosis in assessing the musculo-skeletal disorders. Our preliminary findings indicate that
Iris diagnosis might a helpful tool in determining the underlying musculo-skeletal disorders.
The findings of distended autonomic nerve wreath (ANW) in all the patients in the study
suggest a probable heightened sympathetic tone and impaired autonomic regulation of the
digestive system. The association between distended ANW and musculo-skeletal pain needs
to be ascertained. However, it also needs to be noted that, the history of patients related to
digestive system was unavailable making it inconclusive whether the distended ANW is due
to musculo-skeletal condition or digestive disorders.
The strengths of this study is that despite having a smaller sample size, consistent observation
of lesions in iris in the area demarcated for knee, back and neck areas were observed in the
iris of patients with pain. The limitation of the study is our reliance on manual observation
and not having a digital image of the iris. It is also noted that in certain cases where the pain
scores are less in the Pain Detect Questionnaire, the lesions are not seen, despite the patient
reporting pain. This might be a reason for non representation of pain in certain patients in the
study. So, we speculate that despite subjective perception of pain, a certain extent of physical
deformation due to underlying cause is required to manifest as a visible lesion in the Iris.
More rigorous, stringent trials using imaging techniques to visualize the vertebral column as
well as the iris may facilitate deeper understanding of iris diagnosis. Based on the above
findings, we conclude that Iris diagnosis might be used as a non-invasive preliminary
screening tool to assess musculo-skeletal disorders.