Noun, pl. Meibomaian glands
1. A special kind of sebaceous gland at the rim of the eyelids inside the tarsal plate, responsible for the supply of meibum, an oily substance that prevents evaporation of the eye’s tear film. Meibum prevents tear spillage onto the cheek, trapping tears between the oiled edge and the eyeball, and makes the closed lids airtight. (wikipedia.org)
2. One of the long sebaceous glands of the eyelids that discharge a fatty secretion which lubricates the eyelids. (merriam-webster.com)
Syn: tarsal gland
Name origin: Named after Mei·bom, Heinrich (1638–1700), German physician. A professor of medicine at Helmstadt, Germany, Meibom accurately described the sebaceous glands of the eyelids in 1666. Although they are now identified with Meibom, the glands had been figured by the Italian anatomist Giulio Casserio (1561–1616) in 1609, and their existence has been known since the time of Galen. (merriam-webster.com)