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Tarsal plate of upper eyelid: anatomy, location and function

The tarsal plate of the upper eyelid is a firm plate of dense connective tissue that gives the upper lid its shape. It stiffens the eyelid and houses the tarsal (meibomian) glands.

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Highlighted in the model: Tarsal plate of upper eyelid. Click any part to read about it, or switch off “Highlight topic” to see the whole body. 3D data: BodyParts3D, © The Database Center for Life Science, CC BY 4.0; meshes simplified and recoloured. The model is an adult male.

Tarsal plate of upper eyelid at a glance

What it is
The tarsal plate of the upper eyelid is a firm plate of dense connective tissue that gives the upper lid its shape.
Location
It lies within the upper eyelid, deep to orbicularis oculi, with levator palpebrae superioris attaching to its front surface.
Function
It stiffens the eyelid and houses the tarsal (meibomian) glands.
Body system
Eye & ear · paired (left and right)
FMA ID
FMA59092 (Foundational Model of Anatomy)

Key facts

  • Larger than the lower tarsal plate.
  • Superior tarsal muscle (sympathetic) attaches to its upper edge.

Clinical relevance

Chalazion is a blocked meibomian gland cyst.

Structures next to the tarsal plate of upper eyelid

The nearest named structures in the 3D model, measured from the centre of each part:

References

  1. Foundational Model of Anatomy: Tarsal plate of upper eyelid (FMA59092). EMBL-EBI Ontology Lookup Service.
  2. OpenStax. Anatomy and Physiology 2e, §14.1 Sensory Perception. Rice University, 2022.
  3. Mitsuhashi N. et al. (2009). BodyParts3D: 3D structure database for anatomical concepts. Nucleic Acids Research 37, D782–D785. Data © The Database Center for Life Science, CC BY 4.0.

Related anatomy

Explore the whole body in the interactive 3D human anatomy model, or browse the A–Z list of human structures.