THE CEO of the Lasik Surgery Clinic would not disclose the amount earned by Dr Marc Tay, a salaried employee, last year.

But Dr Cheryl Baumann revealed that the clinic charges between $2,500 and $4,500 per pair of eyes.

'We are not the highest in price nor are we the lowest. We are somewhere in between,' she said.

If one were to take $3,500 as the average price, then Dr Tay alone would have pulled in more than $30 million last year.

However, Dr Baumann was quick to add that the costs of running such a clinic are very high. The rental runs to hundreds of thousands of dollars a year and each Lasik machine can cost $1m, she said.

'There are also staff salaries to take care of and consumables,' she added.

Earlier this month, the clinic published a book, Vision Reborn: Challenging the Limits of Sight. It hopes to raise $50,000 from the sales.

The money will go towards research incomplications in Lasik surgery, said Dr Baumann.

Well-known ophthalmologist Professor Arthur Lim will administer the Lasik Surgery Clinic grant.

Prof Lim, who wrote the foreword for the book, said: 'As with every surgical procedure, there are risks involved.

'This book serves to help potential Lasik patients find their way through the sea of information available and make an informed decision.'

The book sells at $12.90 at major bookstores. It is $10 if you buy from the clinic.

This story was first published in The New Paper on Apr 25, 2008.