Tarsus (eyelids)

The tarsi (tarsal plates) are two thin, elongated plates of dense connective tissue, about 2.5 cm. in length; one is placed in each eyelid, and contributes to its form and support.

The superior tarsus (tarsus superior; superior tarsal plate), the larger, is of a semilunar form, about 10 mm. in breadth at the center, and gradually narrowing toward its extremities.

To the anterior surface of this plate the aponeurosis of the Levator palpebræ superioris is attached.

The inferior tarsus (tarsus inferior; inferior tarsal plate), the smaller, is thin, elliptical in form, and has a vertical diameter of about 5 mm. The free or ciliary margins of these plates are thick and straight.

The attached or orbital margins are connected to the circumference of the orbit by the orbital septum.

The lateral angles are attached to the zygomatic bone by the lateral palpebral raphé.

The medial angles of the two plates end at the lacrimal lake, and are attached to the frontal process of the maxilla by the medial palpebral ligament).

The Meibomian glands are aligned vertically within the tarsi: 30 to 40 glands in the upper lid, and 20 to 30 in the lower lid.