If you are nearsighted and wear your full distance prescription for extended near (computer/reading) work, there is some chance that your eye will adapt to the most dominant distance, eventually requiring a stronger prescription for distance/driving. Rinse/repeat = ever worsening glasses for some people.
To avoid this problem, ask your optometerist for a separate (weaker) prescription for computer glasses. You can get a ballpark idea from http://computerglassesrx.com. Glasses are cheap these days, e.g. online from Zenni for less than $50.
Lasik carves a lens onto your eyes. If that lens strength is your distance prescription, the same issue exists as with glasses. To reduce close-up strain on your eyes, you can use plus lenses for close-up work, which reduces the lasik/contacts "minus" prescription for near distances. Look at the calculator above for an estimate, but consult an eye doctor, as there are variables like age/presbyopia/convergence.
Previous HN thread on Lasik: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9941566
Non-mainstream discussion of plus lens therapy: http://forum.gettingstronger.org/index.php?topic=1115.0
Last time I upgraded my prescription I asked my optometrist about working in from of a computer all day, and he said "If you can see the screen without wearing any glasses, do that. Otherwise use your old ones (with the less powerful lenses)."
Since I've been doing that, my eyes have felt a bit better. Maybe I could get away with an even weaker set, but I haven't really looked into it.
When it works, the key seems to be relaxing the eyes and surrounding muscles while viewing objects at a distance which causes just enough blur. Within a minute or two, the brain's visual cortex figures out a "software compensation" for the signal coming from the eye, which lets the eye stay relaxed instead of straining to focus. More info on Vision Therapy is available from behavioral opthalmologists, but it takes time, motivation and may not be covered by insurance.
[1] https://youtube.com/user/cliffgnu
[2] https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5REdzibAJQ4VFJuWnZCU3dLcHc...
[3] https://dspace.mit.edu/openaccess-disseminate/1721.1/105363
If you like soft focus, you can try on different drugstore reading glasses (e.g. +0.50) over your normal glasses, to find a reduced strength which lets you see at the desired distance without super-duper-sharp edges. Then ask your optometrist to provide you with a reduced prescription for non-driving or near work tasks. Otherwise, they will prescribe driving-strength glasses to avoid legal liability.
Easiest would be to find a friendly optometrist who will put your astigmatism prescription into a trial frame, then let you self-adjust the cylinder and axis values until you find your desired blend of clarity and softness at your target distance. They can also advise on the safety of using that prescription vs using no glasses.
Also, what did it correct? Did you wear glasses 24/7 before?
Genuinely intrigued. Being as I'm 100% dependent on my glasses/contacts I'd really like a solution, but feel like it'll be the same sort of outcome.