meibomian

DEFINITION of meibomian

The meibomian glands are large, modified holocrine sebaceous glands running vertically through the tarsal (connective tissue) plates of each eyelid — approximately 25 in the upper eyelid and 20 in the lower. They secrete meibum, a complex, lipid-rich oily substance (distinct from ordinary sebum) that forms the outermost lipid layer of the three-layered tear film. This lipid layer is critical: it slows aqueous tear evaporation, prevents tear spillage onto the cheeks, seals the lids during sleep, and stabilizes the ocular surface. When meibomian glands become blocked, atrophied, or otherwise dysfunctional, the resulting tear film instability is recognized as the most common cause of dry eye disease globally. Complications of untreated meibomian gland disease include chronic dry eye, evaporative dry eye, posterior blepharitis, chalazion formation, corneal keratitis, and even ulceration. Secretion: Meibum; The glands’ product, meibum (a term coined by Nicolaides et al. in 1981), is biochemically distinct from ordinary sebum, containing complex wax esters, cholesterol esters, and other lipids. Its consistency is clear and oily in healthy glands, becoming thick, cloudy, and yellowish in dysfunction.

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ETYMOLOGY of meibomian

latin Unlike most medical terms, meibomian is eponymous — named after Heinrich Meibom (1638-1700), a German physician and professor at the University of Helmstedt, who first dissected and described the glands in detail in his 1666 treatise De Vasis Palpebrarum Novis Epistola (“A New Letter on the Vessels of the Eyelids”). Notably, Meibom himself did not name the glands after himself; he called them glandulae tarsales (“tarsal glands”). Later anatomists honored him by applying his name to them. The suffix -ian is a Latin-derived adjectival ending meaning “of, belonging to, or relating to a person or place.” Tarsal glands (glandulae tarsales) — Meibom’s own preferred term, from Latin tarsus (“flat of the foot/ankle”; in anatomy, the cartilaginous eyelid plate) Palpebral glands — from Latin palpebra (“eyelid”) Tarsoconjunctival glands — referring to their location spanning tarsal plate and conjunctiva Components: Proper noun Meibom (Heinrich Meibom, 1638-1700) + -ian (adjectival suffix, “pertaining to”)

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RELATED TERMS

Term	Meaning
MGD (Meibomian Gland Dysfunction)	Chronic obstruction/dysfunction of meibomian glands; the most common cause of dry eye
Meibomitis / Meibomianitis	Inflammation of the meibomian glands; alias for MGD
Chalazion / Meibomian cyst	Granuloma from a blocked meibomian gland duct; presents as a firm, painless lid lump
Posterior blepharitis	Eyelid margin inflammation specifically involving the meibomian gland orifices
Meibography	Imaging technique (infrared) to visualize meibomian gland structure and detect dropout
Meibocyte	Individual secretory cell within a meibomian gland acinus
Meibogenesis	The biochemical process by which meibocytes produce meibum
Evaporative dry eye (EDE)	Most common form of dry eye, primarily driven by MGD-related meibum deficiency
Tarsal plate	The fibrous connective tissue plate housing the meibomian glands
Gland of Zeis	A smaller sebaceous gland of the eyelid, associated with eyelash follicles — a close neighbor of meibomian glands
Moll’s gland	Apocrine sweat gland of the eyelid margin, another adnexal eyelid gland

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DERIVATIONS of meibomian

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Query functionality

TABLE definition AS Definition
FROM #medterm 
WHERE length(filter(definition, (word) => econtains([[]].definition, word))) > 0 AND file.name != [[]].file.name

Med roots Appendix A Prefixes Appendix B Combining Forms Appendix C Suffixes Appendix D Suffix forms