No you cannot wait until next year to claim a 2017 job-related expense. (In fact, that deduction is eliminated for 2018 returns).
IF you filed an itemized tax return then you can amend to add the safety glasses once your return has been fully processed.
Amend 2017
https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1894381-how-to-amend-change-or-correct-a-return-you-already-filed?...
JOB RELATED EXPENSES
Only the amount of job-related expenses that are OVER 2% of your adjusted gross income get added to your list of itemized deductions, which still must exceed your standard deduction in order to make a difference on your return. This is kind of a hard deduction to get. If you need to enter these, go to Federal>Deductions and Credits>Employment Expenses>Job-Related Expenses.
**Disclaimer: Every effort has been made to offer the most correct information possible. The poster disclaims any legal responsibility for the accuracy of the information that is contained in this post.**
