Hassall-Henle bodies are small transparent growths on the posterior surface of Descemet's membrane

Descemet's membrane

Descemet's membrane is the basement membrane that lies between the corneal proper substance, also called stroma, and the endothelial layer of the cornea. It is composed of a different kind of collagen than the stroma. The endothelial layer is located at the posterior of the cornea...

 at the periphery of the cornea

Cornea

The cornea is the transparent front part of the eye that covers the iris, pupil, and anterior chamber. Together with the lens, the cornea refracts light, with the cornea accounting for approximately two-thirds of the eye's total optical power. In humans, the refractive power of the cornea is...

. These bodies contain collagenous matter in which numerous cracks and fissures are filled with extrusions of the corneal endothelium

Endothelium

The endothelium is the thin layer of cells that lines the interior surface of blood vessels, forming an interface between circulating blood in the lumen and the rest of the vessel wall. These cells are called endothelial cells. Endothelial cells line the entire circulatory system, from the heart...

. The condition is usually associated with the aging process.

Hassall-Henle bodies are named after British physician Arthur Hill Hassall

Arthur Hill Hassall

Arthur Hill Hassall was a British physician, chemist and microscopist who is primarily known for his work in public health and food safety....

 (1817-1894) and German anatomist Friedrich Gustav Jakob Henle

Friedrich Gustav Jakob Henle

Friedrich Gustav Jakob Henle was a German physician, pathologist and anatomist. He is credited with the discovery of the loop of Henle in the kidney. His essay "On Miasma and Contagia" was an early argument for the germ theory of disease...

(1809-1885). They are sometimes referred to as Hassall-Henle warts or Henle's warts.