diff --git a/skimage/segmentation/_slic.pyx b/skimage/segmentation/_slic.pyx
index 1418e902..0935550c 100644
--- a/skimage/segmentation/_slic.pyx
+++ b/skimage/segmentation/_slic.pyx
@@ -255,7 +255,7 @@ def _enforce_label_connectivity_cython(Py_ssize_t[:, :, ::1] segments,
 
                 #perform a breadth first search to find
                 # the size of the connected component
-                while bfs_visited != current_segment_size:
+                while bfs_visited < current_segment_size < max_size:
                     for i in range(6):
                         zz = coord_list[bfs_visited, 0] + ddz[i]
                         yy = coord_list[bfs_visited, 1] + ddy[i]
@@ -271,6 +271,8 @@ def _enforce_label_connectivity_cython(Py_ssize_t[:, :, ::1] segments,
                                 coord_list[current_segment_size, 1] = yy
                                 coord_list[current_segment_size, 2] = xx
                                 current_segment_size += 1
+                                if current_segment_size >= max_size:
+                                    break
                             elif (connected_segments[zz, yy, xx] >= 0 and
                                   connected_segments[zz, yy, xx] != current_new_label):
                                 adjacent = connected_segments[zz, yy, xx]
diff --git a/skimage/segmentation/tests/test_slic.py b/skimage/segmentation/tests/test_slic.py
index 239413d4..2dd4cde7 100644
--- a/skimage/segmentation/tests/test_slic.py
+++ b/skimage/segmentation/tests/test_slic.py
@@ -153,6 +153,12 @@ def test_enforce_connectivity():
                                  enforce_connectivity=False,
                                  convert2lab=False)
 
+    # Make sure nothing fatal occurs (e.g. buffer overflow) at low values of
+    # max_size_factor
+    segments_connected_low_max = slic(img, 2, compactness=0.0001,
+                                      enforce_connectivity=True,
+                                      convert2lab=False, max_size_factor=0.8)
+
     result_connected = np.array([[0, 0, 0, 1, 1, 1],
                                  [0, 0, 0, 1, 1, 1],
                                  [0, 0, 0, 1, 1, 1]], np.float)
@@ -163,6 +169,7 @@ def test_enforce_connectivity():
 
     assert_equal(segments_connected, result_connected)
     assert_equal(segments_disconnected, result_disconnected)
+    assert_equal(segments_connected_low_max, result_connected)
 
 
 def test_slic_zero():