Pupil Flattening as a Diagnostic Marker for Intervertebral Disc Bulge: An Iridology-Based Approach

Intervertebral disc bulge (IVDB) is a prevalent spinal condition that significantly affects quality of life, yet current diagnostic methods can be expensive and not always easily accessible. This study explores the potential of pupil flattening as an iridological marker for IVDB. A case-control study was conducted with 60 IVDB patients and 60 healthy controls. High-resolution iris images were analyzed for pupil flattening, revealing a markedly higher prevalence in IVDB patients (88.3 % in the right iris, 81.7 % in the left iris) compared to controls (15 % in the right iris, 10 % in the left iris). ROC analysis demonstrated strong diagnostic accuracy, with AUC values of 0.79 for males (95 % CI: 0.60–0.98) and 0.88 (95 % CI: 0.78–0.99) for females. Sensitivity and specificity were particularly high in females, at 80 % and 97.62 %, respectively. These findings indicate that pupil flattening could serve as a non-invasive, cost-effective diagnostic tool for IVDB, offering a potential complement to existing diagnostic approaches.

The demographic characteristics of the patients are summarized in Table 1. Predominantly, the study population consisted of females (n = 77, 64.2 %). The mean age of the patients was 45 years, with ages ranging from approximately 18–75 years. Iris flattening emerged as a highly prevalent lesion in patients with IVDB, affecting 73.3 % of cases (44 out of 60 patients), as detailed in Table 1. The clinical manifestations showed marked differences between IVDB and control groups.