diff --git a/components/formats-bsd/src/loci/formats/in/OMETiffReader.java b/components/formats-bsd/src/loci/formats/in/OMETiffReader.java
index 543f3d23b4a..6707cc680d4 100644
--- a/components/formats-bsd/src/loci/formats/in/OMETiffReader.java
+++ b/components/formats-bsd/src/loci/formats/in/OMETiffReader.java
@@ -216,7 +216,11 @@ else if (description instanceof String) {
 
       try {
         String metadataFile = meta.getBinaryOnlyMetadataFile();
-        if (metadataFile != null) {
+        // check the suffix to make sure that the MetadataFile is not
+        // referencing the current OME-TIFF
+        if (metadataFile != null && !checkSuffix(metadataFile, "ome.tiff") &&
+          !checkSuffix(metadataFile, "ome.tif"))
+        {
           return true;
         }
       }