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  • Should I be concerned about blood vessels in the white part of my eye with black dots at the end of them?


    Question:

    I have blood vessels in the white part of my eye with black dots at the end of them. What are these called and should I be concerned? I also noticed that both my daughter and husband have them. We are black.


    Answer:

    You have done an excellent job of describing an Axenfeld Nerve Loop. They were first described in 1902 by Axenfeld. They are normal and will not cause you any harm. They are loops of nerve tissue from within the eye that exit the inside of the eye through the same channel as a blood vessel and usually look like a black ball at the end of a red blood vessel. Search for “Axenfeld Nerve Loop” online to see photos of them.


    Answered By:

    General Eye Health