Abstract: A contact lens holder is provided with a pair of receptacles to receive a pair of contact lenses for holding them in place while they are inserted into a container. The container has liquid therein to be heated to a sterilization temperature, thereby sterilizing the contact lenses. A relatively movable vessel is positioned within the container and held in a desired position during the heating operation. The vessel is formed of transparent material and contains a quantity of eutectic material viz. a material having a specified melting point. At the outset of the sterilization process the vessel is positioned such that the eutectic material, solid at temperatures below the sterilizing temperature, is at top of the vessel. The eutectic material melts once the sterilization temperature is reached and will flow to the bottom of the vessel, thereby indicating that the sterilization temperature has in fact been reached upon subsequent cooling and removal of the holder.

Abstract: A package for the complete and protective enclosure of an article is described in which the article is fully enclosed by a continuous surface of rigid or semi-rigid material so as to form a housing. The housing is banded by a section of sufficiently reduced wall thickness to permit the frangible separation of the housing into two segments which are then drawn apart with the enclosed article being engaged by one of the segments for withdrawal from the other segment. The article can be fully assembled or partially assembled while in the package and means are described in the latter instance for dispensing the fully assembled article automatically in the course of removing it from the package.