Darryl J. Meister, 1972-2014

Darryl J. Meister, 1972-2014

San Diego, July 21, 2014
ZEISS announces with great sadness the sudden and unexpected passing of Darryl Meister, ABOM, a longtime ZEISS employee, a leading authority on ophthalmic optics, and a beloved figure in the optical industry.
Darryl was largely self-educated in the field of optics, and was one of the youngest opticians ever to earn the ABO’s Master certification. He joined the company in 1996 in the Technical Services department, eventually becoming technical marketing manager. He held multiple patents on ophthalmic lens designs.

Darryl was devoted to the optical industry and generous in sharing his time and expertise. With Dr. James Sheedy he wrote “Introduction to Ophthalmic Optics,” which continues to be used in optometry and opticianry schools. He was a key contributor to many important industry initiatives, including the VCA's Lens Description Standard and ANSI's Z80.1 Standards. His articles have been published in magazines such as Optical World, Clinical and Experimental Optometry, LensTalk, and Refractive Eyecare Management. He lectured for organizations such as the Opticians Association of America, the Meredith Morgan Symposium at the UC Berkeley School of Optometry, and the Contact Lens Society of Ophthalmologists. He was a frequent contributor to OptiBoard.com, and was never too busy to answer questions from his industry colleagues.

“Darryl was one of our global experts in eyeglass lens optics. His selfless contributions to industry forums, committees, education and product development are too numerous to recount. His passing leaves a great gap in our Company, our industry, and our hearts,” said Uli Krauss, Chairman and CEO of Carl Zeiss Vision.

Darryl is survived by his children, Korey and Samantha; his sister and brothers, Monica Netter, Chris Meister, and Derrick Meister, his father, Darryl E. Meister, and by countless colleagues and friends in the industry that meant so much to him.

A funeral service will be held at 11:00am on Saturday, July 26 at St. Peter’s Church in Jefferson City, MO. A fund has been established to provide financial support for Darryl’s children to continue their college education. Information can be found at http://www.gofundme.com/by2nzc.