HyaCare is used to package contact lenses and is an unconventional hyaluronic acid that acts as a substitute for tears, lubricating, moisturizing, and re-hydrating contact lenses, making them comfortable for the user.

The dryness problem
One of the biggest components of soft contact lenses is water, but the lenses can still feel dry at the end of the day. This dryness means loss of customers as some new contact lens users put their glasses back to escape the dryness.

“End-of-the-day comfort is certainly the biggest issue for contact lens users as many of them suffer from dry eyes at the end of the day,” says Peter Vestergaard, President and founder of Vision Care A/S, as well as a trained contact lens optometrist.

The moisturizing solution
Packaging solution, also known as the blister buffer, blister solution, or multipurpose solution, surrounds a soft contact lens and keeps it moist and lubricated.
 

The solution in which these new lenses are stored has a cushioning effect, making them more comfortable to wear.

Made from the host strain Bacillus subtilis, HyaCare has unique properties that make it ideal for use as a packaging solution for contact lenses.

“HyaCare is attracting a lot of interest from the eye care industry and is being used in the packaging solution for soft lenses,” says Kim Budolph Johansen, Global Business Manager at Novozymes Biopolymer, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Novozymes and the producer of HyaCare.

Happy tears
Hyaluronic acid is one of the most moisture-­absorbent molecules in nature. When used in contact lens packaging, its water-retentive properties result in enhanced hydration of the eye’s corneal surface.

“When the tear film over the eye breaks, it causes dryness in the eye. Hyaluronic acid helps restore the stability of the tear film, ensuring the comfort of the contact lens wearer or anyone who has dryness in their eyes,” says Kim Budolph Johansen.

“HyaCare® is attracting a lot of interest from the eye care industry,” says Kim Budolph Johansen, Global Business Manager at Novozymes Biopolymer.

Hyaluronic acid has unique viscoelastic properties that improve tear film stability. Formulations containing hyaluronic acid thin out to cover the eye and the lens when blinking. At other times, the solutions revert to their original thickness, making the lenses feel extremely comfortable and preventing the eyes and lenses from drying out.

The many reasons to use HyaCare
One-day lenses are usually sold in blister packs that undergo a final high-temperature sterilization process in an autoclave after packaging.

Other hyaluronic acids are not as heat stable as HyaCare and lose 30–40% of their molecular weight during sterilization, resulting in a remarkable decrease in viscosity.

HyaCare retains its viscoelastic properties almost intact even after sterilization and, unlike conventional one-day lenses, lenses packaged with HyaCare do not need to be stored in a refrigerator.

Another advantage for manufacturers of eye care formulations is that HyaCare is easily soluble. It is a fine white powder that dissolves 30% faster than conventional hyaluronic acid. With tanks containing up to 100,000 liters, this can save hours in the manufacturing process, and production capacity can be increased.

HyaCare, or Bacillus hyaluronic acid, is manufactured by a continuous fermentation process in contrast to a batch process for streptococcal hyaluronic acid. In this way, Novozymes is able to supply almost unlimited quantities of pure, uniform HyaCare – an advantage in a market where shortages of hyaluronic acid have been common in the past.

“Traditionally, hyaluronic acid was made from rooster combs, which were not available in great enough numbers. Streptococcal hyaluronic acid was welcomed as a big step forward in the 1990s,” says Kim Budolph Johansen. “But we have taken it even further and with biotechnology Novozymes now manufactures a more effective, purer product not derived from animals.”

The production process of hyaluronic acid with Bacillus subtilis is protected by patents.

 
Bioinnovative comforts
BioFlex One Day Comfort is one of the first products on the market with HyaCare in the contact lens packaging solution.

HyaCare is building its own brand identity as the HyaCare name, and the Novozymes logo is featured on the BioFlex One Day Comfort packs, sold by Vision Care.

“In BioFlex One Day Comfort, there is a double focus on enhancing user comfort,” says Peter Vestergaard. “Our lens is made of a new material, designed to reduce dehydration. And adding HyaCare to the lens keeps it moist throughout the day.”

Began with cosmetics
Hyaluronic acid has sometimes been hailed as the key to the fountain of youth because of its unique moisture retention properties. It helps maintain smooth, elastic skin and is used extensively in many cosmetics, including make-up and anti-wrinkle and moisturizing creams.

Novozymes Biopolymer’s first hyaluronic acid products were introduced in 2004 for applications in cosmetics.

“The cosmetic market for hyaluronic acid is growing rapidly – you can’t make eye cream and anti-wrinkle creams today without hyaluronic acid. And now the eye care market is also benefiting from it,” says Kim Budolph Johansen.

“There is a need in the market for pharmaceutical-grade hyaluronic acid, which can be injected to fill wounds, fill out lips, remove wrinkles – and there is also research into its use in the delivery of anti-cancer drugs, tissue engineering, and bone regeneration. In the future, hyaluronic acid will be used in many applications – it has a very promising future.”