01/28/2026
The first step in an iris assessment is to evaluate the base color of the iris. The base color determines the color constitution. Eye color is determined by genes that are passed down from the previous three to four generations.
There are three primary color constitutions. They are lymphatic (blue or green), biliary (light brown usually with gold and orange), and hematogenic (darker brown, can be almost black).
We’ve talked about the lymphatic (glue/green) constitution and the hematogenic (brown) constitution, but what about eyes that are not blue/green and eyes that are not really brown?
Where do they fit in?
Irides that have some brown, gold, and maybe even flecks of other pigments AND have some visible fiber when examined with magnification fall into the category of Biliary.
Without magnification these eyes can be tricky to categorize. They can look brown. Clients are often surprised when I pop their iris photos onto the computer monitor to see how uneven and not brown their irides really are.
These irides have a very uneven color, often with heavier, darker pigmentation toward the pupil, and golden highlights toward the outer edge.
It takes a lymphatic parent, and either a hematogenic or biliary ancestor to produce biliary offspring.
Because of this, the biliary person has predispositions to traits of their lymphatic and hematogenic ancestors. That means we can see over-acid traits like asthma, allergies, arthritis along with hematogenic traits of challenges with blood, liver, and digestion.
There are yet iridologists who are still practicing and teaching outdated concepts. Some of the worst concepts circle around the biliary constitution.
There was a time that we believed all eyes should be blue or brown, and that these mixed irides were an indication of current toxicity levels. We recommended cleanses, fasts, special diets - all in an effort to cleanse out toxins and turn the irides blue. We have known for 50 years that this is inaccurate.
Eye color does not guarantee these types of issues, just warns us of the body’s potential chemistry.
Eye color is only one aspect of a constitution.
Every detail we observe gives us information about why a person has symptoms, but none of them give us disease names. We never use iridology diagnose.
If you want to learn more about iridology leave a comment or send me a DM.
Wanna see more? Drop a comment and I’ll DM a link to a short video about the biliary constitution.