Christy Benson, MD
Ophthalmology · Des Moines, IANPI 1265726913
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
This record is dominated by consulting fees: $61,409 of the $69,627 with a category attached, or 88.2%. Glaukos Corporation accounts for 93.7% of it on its own, with 15 other manufacturers making up the rest. Reporting peaked in 2024 at $43,578 and has fallen 54.3% since, to $19,914 in 2025. Among ophthalmology clinicians in IA with any reported payments, this total sits in the top 5% — high for the specialty, which is a reason to read the composition above rather than the number alone.
Across 111 payments — averaging $627.27 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Glaukos Corporation$65K
- Alcon$1K
- Amgen$665
- AbbVie$659
- Tarsus Pharmaceuticals, Inc.$369
- Livanova USA, Inc.$317
- plus $1K from 10 others
What the payments were for
- Consulting fees$61,40988%
- Travel & lodging$8511%
- Food & beverage$7,36711%
General payments by program year
Who reported the general payments
Companies are grouped under their corporate parent — a single manufacturer often files under several CMS reporting entities. Research and ownership payments are counted separately and are not in this table.
| Company | Payments | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Glaukos Corporation | 35 | $65,236 |
| Alcon | 25 | $1,338 |
| Amgen(2 entities) | 6 | $665 |
| AbbVie(2 entities) | 8 | $659 |
| Tarsus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 9 | $369 |
| Livanova USA, Inc. | 11 | $317 |
| Bausch & Lomb Americas Inc. | 3 | $210 |
| Bausch & Lomb, A Division Of Bausch Health US, LLC | 4 | $172 |
| Biotissue Holdings Inc. | 2 | $144 |
| Aerie Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 1 | $122 |
| Sight Sciences, Inc. | 1 | $100 |
| ANI Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 1 | $86 |
| Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Inc. | 2 | $83 |
| Lundbeck LLC | 1 | $50 |
| NEW World Medical,inc. | 1 | $46 |
| The Cameron-ehlen Group, Inc. | 1 | $32 |
What the payments were tied to
Products named in the reported payments. Only payments of $100 or more are attributed here — the typical reported payment nationally is a meal worth about $16, and listing those product-by-product would be noise.
- iDose$42,079
- iStent inject Trabecular Micro-Bypass System Model G2-M-IS$14,041
- Travoprost Intraocular Implant - iDose$6,457
- TEPEZZA$608
- iDoseTR$500
- iStent$352
- iStent inject W$352
- XDEMVY$242
- iS3-iStent infiniteTrabecular Micro-Bypass System Model iS3$188
- iStent infinite Trabecular Micro-Bypass System Model iS3$188
- iAccess Precision Blade$188
- iStent Trabecular Micro-Bypass Stent System$188
- LUMIGAN$126
- COMBIGAN$126
- MIEBO$125
- DURYSTA$125
- RESTASIS$125
- Unity$124
- Rocklatan$122
- Rhopressa$122
How this compares
$69,627 in reported general payments places this provider in the 95th percentile of 172 ophthalmology providers in Iowa.
Medicare billing
What this is not: this is the amount Original Medicare Part B allowed for services this provider billed in 2024. It is not their income. It excludes Medicare Advantage — now more than half of all Medicare enrollment — along with Medicaid and all commercial insurance, and it is gross practice revenue before staff, rent, supplies and malpractice premiums. CMS also suppresses any figure covering ten or fewer patients, so low-volume providers appear smaller than they are.
Most prescribed under Part D
| Drug | Claims | Cost to plans & patients |
|---|---|---|
| Prednisolone Acetate | 390 | $19,840 |
| RestasisCyclosporine | 22 | $12,871 |
| Ketorolac Tromethamine | 321 | $9,762 |
| MoxifloxacinMoxifloxacin Hcl | 322 | $8,361 |
| Brimonidine Tartrate-TimololBrimonidine Tartrate/Timolol | 55 | $5,085 |
| Neomycin-Polymyxin-DexamethNeomycin/Polymyxin B/Dexametha | 95 | $926 |
| Latanoprost | 197 | $884 |
| Acetazolamide ErAcetazolamide | 23 | $823 |
| Doxycycline Monohydrate | 29 | $718 |
| Dorzolamide-TimololDorzolamide Hcl/Timolol Maleat | 47 | $403 |
| Brimonidine Tartrate | 68 | $372 |
| Timolol Maleate | 46 | $138 |
| Levofloxacin | 11 | $84 |
| Prednisone | 14 | $35 |
Paid to pharmacies, not to this prescriber.
Companies that both paid and supply prescribed drugs
These companies both reported payments to this provider and make drugs the provider prescribed under Medicare Part D in 2024. For most specialties this overlap is expected — a cardiologist who is paid by a cardiology drugmaker also treats heart disease. It is shown so the reader can see it, not because it implies anything on its own.
| Company | Paid to this provider | Part D cost of their drugs |
|---|---|---|
| AbbVieRestasis | $659 | $12,87122 claims |
Reading this fairly. The Part D column is what drug plans and patients paid pharmacies — this provider received none of it, and it reflects how many patients they treat and what those drugs cost. Against peers, this provider's reported payments sit in the 95th percentile of 172 ophthalmology providers in Iowa.
Other ophthalmology in Des Moines
- Syed HusainDes Moines$15K
- Naveen HusainDes Moines$11K
- Reid TurnerDes Moines$7K
- Michael VersackasDes Moines$3K
- Emad ShenoudaDes Moines$3K
- Edward HuHiawatha$160K
- Michael AbramoffIowa City$158K
- Stephen RussellIowa City$137K
- Jared NielsenWest Des Moines$117K
- Matthew RauenWest Des Moines$108K
Where these figures come from
- Payments: CMS Open Payments, program years 2019–2025 (publication P06302026_06032026).
- Billing: Medicare Physician & Other Practitioners, data year 2024. Original Medicare Part B only.
- Identity: NPPES NPI Registry, July 2026.