Meibum prevents tears from spilling onto the cheek, traps them between the oiled edge and the eyeball, and makes the closed lids airtight.

[2] The glands were mentioned by Galen in 200 AD[3] and were described in more detail by Heinrich Meibom (1638–1700), a German physician, in his work De Vasis Palpebrarum Novis Epistola in 1666.

An update[clarification needed] was published in 2009 on the composition of human meibum and on the structures of various positively identified meibomian lipids.

[7] Currently, the most sensitive and informative approach to lipidomic analysis of meibum is mass spectrometry, either with direct infusion[8][9] or in combination with liquid chromatography.

[14][15] Factors that contribute to meibomian gland dysfunction can include things such as a person's age and/or hormones,[16] or severe infestation of Demodex brevis mite.

[13] Intense pulsed light (IPL) treatments have also been shown to reduce inflammation and improve gland function.