Brewster angle microscopy. A new method of visualizing the spreading of Meibomian lipids.

The spreading behaviour of the Meibomian lipids is important for the integrity of the whole tear film. This paper presents the application of Brewster Angle Microscopy (BAM) for the observation of the spreading process in vitro. Meibomian gland secretions were studied in a Langmuir trough. The secretion was characterized by an extremely rapid continuous spreading, suggesting that enough material would be available to recover the superficial lipid layer of the tears between the blinks of the eye. This new technique provides important information on how the normal tear film works and how tear substitutes might act.