Meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) is a common chronic condition, affecting millions worldwide, and is one of the most frequent pathologies observed on a daily basis by eye specialists throughout the world. In the last decade, MGD has become recognised as the major cause of evaporative dry eye (Nichols et al. 2011). The scientific literature reports wide variations in the prevalence of MGD, with published rates ranging from as low as 3.5% to close to 70% in clinical and population-based studies (Jie et al. 2009; Schein et al. 1997). Although differences in the diagnostic criteria used to define MGD account for much of this variation, and consequently preclude direct comparison between studies, the published results to date present a compelling case to suggest that MGD is markedly more prevalent in Asian populations (Schaumberg et al. 2011).