Simultaneous occurrence of idiopathic lipemic tears and massive seborrhea

A 42-year-old man had idiopathic lipemic tears and massive seborrhea. Recent investigations have shown that cholesterol and other lipids occasionally found in tears are produced by meibomian rather than lacrimal glands. The finding in this patient of hypersecretion by both sebaceous glands and meibomian glands, a sebaceous gland variant, suggests that a common mechanism may regulate secretory control of both of these glands.