Q: See an eye specialist for a professional opinion on why your eyes are red and irritated. Be able to provide answers to the following questions to help him or her make an accurate diagnosis: Is this a chronic problem or is this the first occurrence? Do you have any symptoms other than red eyes? How long has this particular occurrence been present? What medications do you take? Include any vitamins or supplements. Do you drink alcohol or use any drugs? Do you have any chronic diseases? What allergies do you suffer from? Have you been under a lot of stress lately? Have you been sleeping enough? Are you eating less, or do you feel dehydrated? Studies show that our blinking rate decreases 10-fold when we're staring at screens. Blinking is important to eye health because it keeps our eyes moisturized. Staring at laptops, TV monitors, and other electronic screens can cause your eyes to dry out and redden. If you have to look at screens for extended periods of time, take these precautions: Consciously remind yourself to blink. Follow the 20-20 rule: every twenty minutes, take a break from your screen and do something else for 20 seconds to a minute. Give your eyes a little breather. Lower the brightness on your screen. Place the screen 20-40 inches away from your eyes. If you have a job for which you have to use a computer or watch TV, you may not be able to reduce your screen time. You can still make small adjustments to lessen the burden on your eyes. Place the screen somewhere it is level with your eyes. You don't want to be looking up or down at the screen. Leave a distance of about 20-40 inches (50-100 cm) between your eyes and the screen. Wear eyewear design to fight eye strain from the glare of light off the screen. If you wear prescription lenses or glasses, ask your eye care expert if the time you spend looking at screens calls for a new prescription. Consider a tint or anti-glare coating to reduce the strain on your eyes. Irritants like smoke bother your eyes and cause unnecessary redness. Smoking also increases your risk for a variety of eye diseases, including cataracts, macular degeneration, uveitis, diabetic retinopathy, and dry eye syndrome. Smoking while pregnant can even cause infant eye disease in an unborn child. If you're unwilling or unable to quit smoking, make sure to smoke outside to keep your house smoke free. You can also purchase air cleaners to keep your home smoke-free if you smoke indoors. Drinking too much alcohol dehydrates the body. You lose nutrients important for tear production through increased urination. The combination of dehydration and nutrient loss causes dryness and redness in the eyes. Use a drink calculator to figure out if you're drinking more alcohol than you should. When drinking alcohol, drink plenty of water to keep yourself hydrated. You need enough water in your body to keep your eyes moisturized. The food you eat can impact your eye health, along with the other organs in your body. Eat a balanced diet rich with omega 3 fatty acids (salmon, flaxseed, nuts, etc.) to ensure healthy eyes and prevent inflammation. Vitamins C, E, and zinc prevent eye problems that arise with age. You can find these vitamins in bell peppers, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, strawberries, oranges, cantaloupe, cabbage, tomatoes, raspberries, celery, and spinach. Vitamins B2 and B6 reduce age-related eye diseases and help prevent cataracts. Eat foods like eggs, fresh vegetables, whole cereals, dairy products, sunflower seeds, and meats like tuna, liver, and turkey. Lutein and zeaxanthin protect the eyes from harmful lights. To boost these nutrients in your diet, eat plenty of green peas, green beans, orange bell peppers, corn, tangerines, oranges, mangos, eggs, and dark, green leafy vegetables such as kale, collard greens, broccoli, and spinach. Drink at least 8-10 glasses of water each day. Though this is a common cause of eye redness, it's often ignored. Sleep replenishes your entire body, including your eyes. You should sleep 7 to 8 hours every night. Getting too little sleep can leave eyes dry and irritated, and also result in problems like eye twitching and bags under the eyes. Another benefit of sleep is that it allows time for white blood cells to fight harmful pathogens. Allergies are a common cause of dry, red, irritated eyes. Seasonal allergies usually kick in at the beginning of spring, when pollen counts are high. The irritation comes from the body releasing histamines to fight off the allergy. The side effect of histamines is dry, itchy eyes. Buy over-the-counter antihistamines to treat your allergies, and drink plenty of water to stay hydrated. You may also be allergic to pet dander. If you notice dry, itchy, or swollen eyes when you're around certain pets, avoid those animals. You can also see a doctor for injections to fight your dander allergy.
A: Determine the cause of your eye redness. Reduce the amount of time you look at screens. Adjust your electronic screens. Avoid smoking. Limit your alcohol intake. Eat a balanced diet. Get plenty of sleep. Manage your allergies.

Q: Prepare a 9-inch (23-cm) baking dish by spraying it with nonstick cooking spray. You can use a square or oval dish. If you do not have cooking spray, use butter or shortening. Spread the baking spray, butter, or shortening around the dish using a clean paper towel to ensure that the dish is well coated. Add the butter to a medium skillet with high sides and heat over medium heat. Wait until the butter is melted before proceeding to the next step. Add the onion to the melted butter and cook, stirring frequently, until it softens. The onions may also begin to turn translucent, but they should not be allowed to brown or caramelize. Use a spatula or mixing spoon to stir the onions as they cook. Note that this should only take 2 minutes or so. Sprinkle the flour over the onions and whisk the ingredients together. Cook for 2 additional minutes. Cooking the flour at this stage prevents the taste of the raw flour from affecting the taste of the sauce. Evenly sprinkle the flour over the onions to minimize the risk of clumps forming. Whisk the milk into the skillet, combining it thoroughly with the onions and flour. Continue cooking until the sauce thickens and bubbles. It should only take a few minutes for the sauce to thicken. Stir frequently with your whisk to check the texture and prevent the sauce from burning to the bottom of the pan. Remove the skillet from the heat and add the cheese. Use a mixing spoon to stir it into the sauce until it melts and distributes itself evenly. Season with salt and pepper, if desired, mixing the seasonings into the sauce thoroughly. Place half of your sliced potatoes in the prepared baking dish and sprinkle with additional salt and pepper, if desired. The potatoes will not be in a single layer, but the layers in the bottom of the dish should be even in order to ensure even cooking. Spoon half of your prepared sauce over the potatoes in the baking dish. Spoon the sauce over the potatoes as evenly as possible. Give the baking dish a slight shake from side to side to help settle the sauce in between the potato layers. Layer the remaining sliced potatoes over your sauce and pour the remaining sauce over them. Both the potatoes and sauce should be distributed evenly. Give the dish a slight shake from side to side to settle the contents. Evenly distribute the remaining 1/2 cup (125 ml) shredded cheese over the top of the dish. You can use shredded or grated cheese. Grated cheese will melt into the sauce more, while shredded cheese will create a layer of cheese over the dish. Cheddar cheese is a popular choice, but most other varieties will also work. For instance, you could use Parmesan cheese or a commercial blend of Mexican cheeses and spices. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake in your preheated oven until the potatoes are tender. If you want the cheese to brown on top, remove the foil during the last 5 to 10 minutes. Let the potatoes cool for a couple of minutes after you pull them out of the oven, but serve them while still hot and bubbling.
A:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius). Heat the butter in a skillet. Cook onion until soft. Whisk in flour. Whisk in milk. Add 3/4 cup (180 ml) cheese. Arrange half of the potatoes in your baking dish. Cover with half of the sauce. Repeat with the remaining potatoes and sauce. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake for 30 minutes. Serve hot.