Krause's glands Krause's glands or Krause glands are small, mucous accessory lacrimal glands that are found underneath the eyelid where the upper and lower conjunctivae meet. Their ducts unite into a rather long sinus which open into the fornix conjunctiva. There ...

Wolfring's glands Ciaccio's glands or Wolfring's glands are small tubular accessory lacrimal glands (''glandulae lacrimales accessoriae'') found in the lacrimal caruncle of the eyelid. These accessory lacrimal glands are located in the upper border of the tarsus, ap ...

(or Ciaccio's glands) and Popov's gland are the accessory lacrimal glands of the

lacrimal system The lacrimal apparatus is the physiological system containing the orbital structures for tear production and drainage.Cassin, B. and Solomon, S. ''Dictionary of Eye Terminology''. Gainesville, Florida: Triad Publishing Company, 1990. It consist ...

human eye The human eye is a sensory organ, part of the sensory nervous system, that reacts to visible light and allows humans to use visual information for various purposes including seeing things, keeping balance, and maintaining circadian rhythm. ...

. These glands are structurally and histologically similar to the main lacrimal gland. Glands of Krause are located in the stroma of the conjunctival fornix, and the glands of Wolfring are located along the orbital border of the tarsal plate. These glands are oval and display numerous acini. The acini are surrounded, sometimes incompletely, by a row of myoepithelial cells. Animal studies suggest that the ducts of Wolfring glands have a tortuous course and open onto the palpebral conjunctiva. Like the main lacrimal gland, the accessory lacrimal glands are also densely innervated, but they lack parasympathetic innervation. These glands are exocrine glands, responsible for the basal (unstimulated) secretion of the middle aqueous layer of the tear film. 20 to 40 glands of Krause are found in the upper fornix, and 6-8 glands appear in the lower fornix. There are usually 2 to 5 Ciaccio's glands, and are found along the superior tarsal border of the upper eye lid. Popov’s glands are located within the substance of the caruncle.

Function

Previously it was thought that the main lacrimal gland is responsible for reflex tear secretion and the accessory lacrimal glands of Wolfring and Krause are responsible for the basal secretion. But recent evidence suggests that all tearing may be reflex. The accessory glands account for approximately 10% of the total lacrimal secretory mass.

History

Ciaccio's glands are named after Italian

anatomist Anatomy () is the branch of biology concerned with the study of the structure of organisms and their parts. Anatomy is a branch of natural science that deals with the structural organization of living things. It is an old science, having its ...

Giuseppe Vincenzo Ciaccio Giuseppe Vincenzo Ciaccio (15 October 1824 in Catanzaro – 15 June 1901 in Bologna) was an Italian anatomist and histologist. His name is associated with accessory lacrimal glands known as "Ciaccio's glands". In 1845, he earned his degree in ...

(1824–1901), who described these glands in 1874. They are sometimes called "Wolfring's glands" after Polish

ophthalmologist Ophthalmology ( ) is a surgery, surgical subspecialty within medicine that deals with the diagnosis and treatment of eye disorders. An ophthalmologist is a physician who undergoes subspecialty training in medical and surgical eye care. Followin ...

Emilj von Wolfring (1832-1906), who described them during the same time period as did Ciaccio. Krause's glands are named after German

Karl Friedrich Theodor Krause Karl Friedrich Theodor Krause (15 December 1797 – 8 June 1868) was a German anatomist born in Hanover. In 1818 he received his medical doctorate from the University of Göttingen, and later attained the chair of anatomy at the surgical school in ...

(1797–1868).

References

{{Accessory organs of the eye Human eye anatomy

Function

History

See also

References