Eye Drop Review Part 7: Hydrate the Eye with Hylo Drops
Product Information
The main ingredient in this family is Hyaluronic acid. We have reviewed this ingredient previously when discussing Systane Hydration. Hyaluronic acid is a natural humectant found in the eye, meaning it is excellent at attracting and binding moisture, therefore providing longer-lasting lubrication. Furthermore, hyaluronic acid has been shown to reduce ocular surface damage and promote corneal wound healing.
The most unique aspect of the HYLO drops is the COMOD dispenser bottle. This uses an air-tight pump to prevent bacterial contamination. A drop will shoot out of the bottle when you press the pump on the bottom of the bottle. Most patients are happy with this mechanism, but there are some who don't like it. Let us imagine an elderly patient with severe finger/hand arthritis; she might have difficulty squeezing a normal bottle with their fingers, so she might find the pump mechanism easier to use. Also, she might not be able to lift her arm up and head back to instil the drop from above. But since the drops get pumped out with a bit of force, she can still get the drop on her eyes even from below. This design also means the content lasts 6 months instead of a few weeks in most other drops. Hylo Fresh/Hylo Forte were the first BOTTLED preservative-free eye drops that I saw in my career many years ago. Before that, preservative-free drops had to be put in single-use vials. Each bottle contains 300 drops, so if we use an average of 3 drops a day in both eyes, then this will last you 50 days.
I think it's quite interesting to look at some of the ingredients available to other countries. For example, in the EU, Hylo Fresh contains Euphrasia, which is a herbal medicine. This is not something we typically use as optometrists in Australia. From what I read online, Euphrasia has been used for centuries to treat red eyes/conjunctivitis, and it is also known as eyebright. However, the exact mechanism or active ingredient is unknown, as is the case in most herbal treatments. There is limited research on Euphrasia, but there seems to be some evidence of antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effects. I could find only one randomised, double-blinded clinical trial. This study compared using Euphrasia to using salt water in newborns with an eye infection and found no significant difference in treating the infection, but Euphrasia was able to help reduce tearing and redness.
Another ingredient used in the EU is ectoin, which has been suggested to have anti-inflammatory and osmoprotective properties. Dry eye sufferers have a higher concentration of "stuff" in their tear film, like inflammatory mediators, in a tear film that is reduced in volume. This hyperosmolarity promotes cell death, worsens inflammation, and causes discomfort and pain. It is a central factor in the pathogenesis of dry eyes. Osmoprotectant can protect the cornea from the effects of hyperosmolarity of the tear film, thereby reducing inflammation and damage to the cornea and improving symptoms. However, there is limited research evidence to support the effectiveness of ectoin in treating dry eyes.
I also want to discuss about the Vitamin A found in Hylo Night. However, I think this blog is long enough, so I'll discuss it in another blog.
Our Verdict:
I used to really like the Hylo drops. I still think these are wonderful eye drops, particularly in treating aqueous-deficient dry eyes. However, in my research for these blogs, I found that using a combination of ingredients, like HP-Guar and Hyaluronic acid (Systane Hydration) or PEG 400 and Hyaluronic acid (Blink Intensive), may be more effective than any one ingredient on its own. A meta-analysis done in 2025 found that drops that contain hyaluronic acid significantly improved tear production but were similar in other aspects, like reducing corneal damage. For patients with evaporative dry eyes, I still think a lipid-based eye drop like NovaTears or Systane Complete is more suitable.
Reference
Li, J. M., Lin, N., Zhang, Y., Chen, X., Liu, Z., Lu, R., Bian, F., Liu, H., Pflugfelder, S. C., & Li, D. Q. (2024). Ectoine protects corneal epithelial survival and barrier from hyperosmotic stress by promoting anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-37. The ocular surface, 32, 182–191. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtos.2024.03.002
Meier-Girard, D., Gerstenberg, G., Stoffel, L., Kohler, T., Klein, S. D., Eschenmoser, M., Mitter, V. R., Nelle, M., & Wolf, U. (2020). Euphrasia Eye Drops in Preterm Neonates With Ocular Discharge: A Randomized Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Trial. Frontiers in pediatrics, 8, 449. https://doi.org/10.3389/fped.2020.00449
Novy, P., Davidova, H., Serrano-Rojero, C. S., Rondevaldova, J., Pulkrabek, J., & Kokoska, L. (2015). Composition and Antimicrobial Activity of Euphrasia rostkoviana Hayne Essential Oil. Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM, 2015, 734101. https://doi.org/10.1155/2015/734101
URSAPHARM Arzneimittel GmbH. (n.d.). HYLO eye care. Retrieved from https://hylo.de/en/
Welcome back for another review.
This time, we will be looking at a family of eye drops, the HYLO family. These are originally made by URSAPHARM in Germany. We have the HYLO Forte and HYLOFresh available in Australia, and I believe some variations are also available in the United States.
HYLO also has Evotears in its range, but as I have already discussed it in another review, I won't talk about it again here.
Reference
Meier-Girard, D., Gerstenberg, G., Stoffel, L., Kohler, T., Klein, S. D., Eschenmoser, M., Mitter, V. R., Nelle, M., & Wolf, U. (2020). Euphrasia Eye Drops in Preterm Neonates With Ocular Discharge: A Randomized Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Trial. Frontiers in pediatrics, 8, 449. https://doi.org/10.3389/fped.2020.00449
Novy, P., Davidova, H., Serrano-Rojero, C. S., Rondevaldova, J., Pulkrabek, J., & Kokoska, L. (2015). Composition and Antimicrobial Activity of Euphrasia rostkoviana Hayne Essential Oil. Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM, 2015, 734101. https://doi.org/10.1155/2015/734101
https://optase.com/product/optase-hylo-forte-eye-drops/
Li, J. M., Lin, N., Zhang, Y., Chen, X., Liu, Z., Lu, R., Bian, F., Liu, H., Pflugfelder, S. C., & Li, D. Q. (2024). Ectoine protects corneal epithelial survival and barrier from hyperosmotic stress by promoting anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-37. The ocular surface, 32, 182–191. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtos.2024.03.002
