Meibomian gland dysfunction: an overlooked eyelid disease

Abstract

The term ‘‘Meibomian gland disease” is used to describe various disorders of MGs such as congenital lack, neoplastic and inflammatory disorders, replacement distichiasis and MGD. The term has been first coined in the ophthalmic literature by Korb and Henriques in 1980s and it has been defined as a chronic MGD resulting in decreased secretion or poor quality of meibum. Lastly, MGD has been defined by subcommittee of The International Workshop on MGD (IWMGD) in 2011 as ‘’a chronic, diffuse abnormality of the MGs, commonly characterized by terminal duct obstruction and/or qualitative/ quantitative changes in the glandular secretion which may result in alteration of the tear film, clinical apparent inflammation, OSD and symptoms of eye irritation’’.2–4