Krause's glands Krause's glands Krause's glands are small, mucous accessory lacrimal glands that are found underneath the eyelid where the upper and lower conjuctivae meet. Their ducts unite into a rather long sinus which open into the fornix conjunctiva. There are approximately forty Krause glands in the region of the upper eyelid, and around 6 to 8 in the region of the lower lid. The function of these glands are to produce tears which are secreted onto the surface of the conjuctiva. There are rare instances of tumors associated with Krause's glands. They usually occur as retention cysts in cicatricial conditions of
Meibomian gland eye conditions. They may also contribute to blepharitis. The glands are named after Heinrich Meibom (1638–1700), a German physician. Lipids are the major components of meibum (also known as "meibomian gland secretions"). The term "meibum" was originally introduced by Nicolaides "et al." in 1981. The biochemical composition of meibum is extremely complex and very different from that of sebum. Lipids are universally recognized as major components of human and animal meibum. Recently, an update on the composition of human meibum and on the structures of various positively identified meibomian lipids was published. Currently, the most sensitive and informative approach to