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                                                                   EXHIBIT 10.30


                   [LETTERHEAD OF A.M. PAPPAS & ASSOCIATES]


January 20, 1998


Mr. Mark Fischer-Colbrie
Vice President, Finance/Administration and Chief Financial Officer
KeraVision, Inc.

Fax:  1-510-353-3030

Dear Mark,

It was good to see you again while I was in California. I appreciated your time 
discussing issues relating to the Singapore trial. The project is progressing as
planned and I am confident it will be a significant milestone in KeraVision's 
strategic development in Asia.

As we discussed in my email of November 24, 1997 to John Gilbert and copied to 
Tom Loarie, I outlined the services and activities I would undertake in order to
plan for the trial:

1.  developing the trial program which will support KeraVision's overall 
    commercial development objectives in Asia;

2.  assisting in the designing of a comprehensive protocol to the same rigorous
    standards of other KeraVision trials, which also incorporates new objectives
    such as gathering nomograms specific for the Asian eyes;

3.  developing the budget and funding strategy, and preparing for grant
    applications to the National Medical Research Council;

4.  planning for the execution of the trial, e.g., personnel, regulatory and 
    ethics issues, logistics, etc;

5.  interfacing and coordinating with KeraVision, National Eye Center and other 
    relevant organizations and personnel.

John has verbally confirmed the above in our subsequent discussions. In order to
facilitate this engagement, I propose that we enter into an agreement based on 
the following terms:


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                                                        A.M. PAPPAS & ASSOCIATES
                                     p. 2


1.   KeraVision, Inc. (the "Company") engages A.M. Pappas & Associates, LLC 
     (AMP&A) to provide consulting services as outlined above.

2.   All services will be performed by Victor Shi unless otherwise agreed in
     advance by the Company. The consulting rate will be based on our standard
     consulting rate of $1,500 per eight-hour working day ($2,000 for overseas
     activities) plus reasonable and necessary expenses. I estimated an average
     of 3 consulting days per month between December, 1997, and February, 1998
     (submission date for funding), and 1.5 days per month between March and
     June, 1998 (target commencement of the trial). This amounts to
     approximately a total of 15 consulting days. The billing will be monthly
     based on actual hours spent.

3.   AMP&A and Victor Shi will hold in confidence all confidential information 
     received in connection with the work performed for the Company.

4.   The Company will indemnify and hold harmless AMP&A and its officers,
     employees, representatives and agents from all liability in connection with
     the services to be provided unless such liability arises from a willful or
     malicious act by AMP&A or it's officers, employees, representatives, or
     agents. In no event shall AMP&A's aggregate liability exceed the total
     amount paid to AMP&A by the Company under this agreement.

If this is acceptable to you, please sign below and fax to (65) 773-6695 with 
one original copy returned to me at the address on this letterhead.

Thank you and I appreciate the opportunity to work with you.

Sincerely yours,


/s/ Victor Shi
-----------------
Victor Shi, Ph.D.
A.M. Pappas & Associates, LLC

                                          Accepted by:
      
 
                                          /s/ Mark Fischer-Colbrie
                                          --------------------------
                                          Mark Fischer-Colbrie
                                          KeraVision, Inc.
                                          VP Finance/Administration