EXHIBIT 10.56


                        AMENDMENT TO EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT



     This Amendment to Employment Agreement (the "Amendment") dated as of August
13, 1998, is entered into by and between RICHARD TAUMAN (the "Employee") and
HYDRON TECHNOLOGIES, INC., a New York corporation (the "Company").


                                   WITNESSETH:


     WHEREAS, the parties entered into an Employment Agreement dated September
16, 1994 (the "Employment Agreement") pursuant to which the Employee provides
certain services to the Company; and

     WHEREAS, the parties desire to amend the Employment Agreement in certain
respects.

     NOW, THEREFORE, for good and valuable consideration, the receipt and
sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the parties hereby agree as
follows:

1.   Paragraph 1 of the Employment Agreement shall be, and hereby is, amended by
     inserting the following sentence at the end thereof:

         Notwithstanding the foregoing, effective April 3, 1995 the Employee
         assumed the position of Executive Vice President of the Company, and
         effective January 1, 1996 the Employee was given the additional title
         of Chief Operating Officer (the Employee relinquished the COO title
         effective August 9, 1998).

2.   Paragraph 4(a) of the Employment Agreement shall be, and hereby is, amended
     by inserting the following sentence at the end thereof:

         Notwithstanding the foregoing, effective January 1, 1999, the
         Employee's Base Salary shall be $115,762.50.

3.   Paragraph 8 of the Employment Agreement shall be, and hereby is, amended
     by inserting a new Paragraph 8A which shall read as follows:

         "Section 8A. CHANGE OF SENIOR MANAGEMENT - TERMINATION OF EMPLOYMENT
                      AND COMPENSATION IN EVENT OF TERMINATION

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         (a)      Notwithstanding anything contained in this Agreement to the
                  contrary, the Employee may, at any time after six (6) months
                  from the date of August 10, 1998 (the commencement date of
                  employment of Robert Austen, the Chief Operating Officer of
                  the Company) and for a period of six (6) months thereafter,
                  elect to terminate this Agreement upon thirty (30) days prior
                  written notice from the Employee to the Company.

         (b)      Notwithstanding anything contained in this Agreement or any
                  other agreement or instrument to the contrary, if the Employee
                  terminates this Agreement pursuant to Paragraph 8A(a) above,
                  the Employee shall be entitled to (the "Paragraph 8A
                  Termination Compensation") (i) a cash lump sum payment from
                  the Company in the amount of $378,781 (the "Lump Sum Payment")
                  no later than (5) days from the effective date of termination,
                  and (ii) all stock options previously granted to the Employee
                  by the Company shall be immediately vested and exercisable and
                  shall remain exercisable for the balance of the option term
                  that would have applied had the Employee remained in the
                  employ of the Company. If the Employee shall have received
                  payments or benefits from the Company prior to the payment of
                  the Paragraph 8A Termination Compensation which, when added to
                  the Paragraph 8A Termination Compensation would, in the
                  opinion of the Accountants, subject any of the payments or
                  benefits to Employee to the excise tax imposed by Section 4999
                  of the Code, then the Paragraph 8A Termination Compensation
                  shall be reduced by the smallest amount necessary, in the
                  opinion of the Accountants, to avoid such tax. In addition,
                  the Company shall have no obligation to make any payment or
                  provide any benefit to the Employee subsequent to payment of
                  the Paragraph 8A Termination Compensation which, in the
                  opinion of the Accountants, would subject any of the payments
                  or benefits to the Employee to the excise tax imposed by
                  Section 4999 of the Code.

         4.       Paragraph 9(a) of the Employment Agreement shall be, and
                  hereby is, amended by inserting the following at the end
                  thereof:

                  Notwithstanding any provision of this Agreement to the
                  contrary, in the event that the Employee terminates this
                  Agreement pursuant to Paragraph 8A(a) above, then clause (i)
                  and (ii) of this Paragraph 9(a) shall only apply if and to the
                  extent that the Employee is affiliated with a competing
                  business with which Harvey Tauman is also affiliated.

         5.       The Employment Agreement shall be, and hereby is, amended by
                  inserting the following new Paragraphs 21 through 26 at the
                  end thereof:

                  21. LEGAL ADVICE. The Company shall promptly pay or reimburse
                  the Employee for the reasonable fees and disbursements of the
                  Employee's legal counsel in connection with the negotiation of
                  this Amendment. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event
                  that the Employee terminates

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                  this Agreement prior to the expiration of the Term pursuant to
                  Paragraph 8A(a), the Company shall deduct from the Lump Sum
                  Payment provided in Paragraph 8A(b) an amount equal to two (2)
                  times the total amount paid by the Company for the Employee's
                  legal counsel fees in connection with the negotiation of this
                  Amendment.

                  22. FAVORABLE REFERENCE AND NON-DISPARAGEMENT. The Company
                  agrees that in anticipation of or following any termination of
                  the Employee's employment with the Company, it will not in any
                  way disparage the Employee to any person or organization or
                  otherwise.

                  23. RESOLUTION OF DIFFERENCE OVER BREACHES OF AGREEMENT. In
                  the event of any controversy, dispute or claim arising out of,
                  or relating to this Agreement, or the breach thereof, or
                  arising out of any other matter relating to the Employee's
                  employment with the Company or the termination of such
                  employment, the Company and the Employee agree that such
                  underlying controversy, dispute or claim shall be settled by
                  arbitration conducted in Boca Raton, Florida in accordance
                  with this Paragraph 23 of the Agreement and the Commercial
                  Arbitration Rules of the American Arbitration Association (the
                  "AAA Rules"). The matter shall be heard and decided, and award
                  rendered by one (1) arbitrator appointed in accordance with
                  the AAA Rules from the American Arbitration Association
                  National Panel of Commercial Arbitrators. The award rendered
                  by such arbitrator shall be final and binding as between the
                  parties hereto and their heirs, executors, administrators,
                  successors and assigns, and judgment on the award may be
                  entered by any court having jurisdiction thereof.

                  24. MISCELLANEOUS. The Company represents that it has no
                  knowledge as of the date of this Amendment of any
                  circumstances, including without limitation any offset,
                  counterclaim, recoupment, defense, or other claim or right
                  which the Company may have against the Employee, that could
                  affect the Employee's legal right to receive the payments and
                  other consideration described in this Agreement. The Employee
                  shall not be obligated to seek other employment in mitigation
                  of the amounts payable or arrangements made under any
                  provision of this Agreement, and the obtaining of any such
                  other employment shall in no event effect any reduction of the
                  Company's obligations to make the payments and arrangements
                  required to be made under this Agreement. In any legal action
                  taken by the Employee to enforce this Agreement, (1) in the
                  event that the Company is determined by the arbitrator(s) to
                  have had no reasonable basis for its litigation position, the
                  fee of the arbitrators and all necessary expenses of the
                  hearing (including reasonable attorneys' fees incurred by
                  Employee or his beneficiary in pursuing his claim) shall be
                  paid by the Company and (2) in the event that the Employee is
                  determined by the arbitrator(s) to have had no reasonable
                  basis for his litigation

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                  position, the fee of the arbitrators and all necessary
                  expenses of the hearing (including reasonable attorneys' fees
                  incurred by Company in such litigation) shall be paid by the
                  Employee.

         Capitalized terms which are used in this Amendment and which are
defined in the Employment Agreement shall have the same meanings herein as are
set forth in the Employment Agreement.

         Except as modified herein, the Employment Agreement shall continue in
full force and effect in accordance with its terms.

         IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have caused this Amendment to the
Employment Agreement to be duly authorized, executed, and delivered as of the
date first written above.



                           HYDRON TECHNOLOGIES, INC.


                           --------------------------------------
                           Richard Banakus
                           Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer



                           --------------------------------------
                           RICHARD TAUMAN

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