Meibomian gland Meibomian gland The Meibomian glands (often written with a small "m" and also called tarsal glands) are a holocrine type of exocrine glands, 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. There are approximately 50 glands on the upper eyelids and 25 glands on the lower eyelids. Dysfunctional meibomian glands often cause dry eyes, one of the more common
Apocrine sweat gland ducts. The tubules are wrapped in myoepithelial cells, which are more developed than in their eccrine gland counterparts. In hoofed animals and marsupials, apocrine glands act as the main thermoregulator, secreting watery sweat. For most mammals, however, apocrine sweat glands secrete an oily (and eventually smelly) compound that acts as a pheromone, territorial marker, and warning signal. Being sensitive to adrenaline, apocrine sweat glands are involved in emotional sweating in humans (induced by anxiety, stress, fear, sexual stimulation, and pain). In a five-month-old human fetus, apocrine glands are distributed all over the body; after a few weeks, they exist in