if you are over 18 and not playing on a p.2.p field, or at one of the national or paid events that are hosted here, you may use shooting glasses at your own risk. i have used them for years with no bad insidents. but fully sealed units are the only way to prevent possible injury to your eyes. gearbox has them for a good price.
but heed this warning. if you end up getting shot in the eye or lose a tooth because you were useing bad or ill fitting equipment. no one is going to feel sorry for you. if you are old enough to make the decission, you are old enough to live with the concequences.
but to answer your question yes shooting/saftey glasses can be used for airsoft. but it is not condoned because they dont protect from the side or rear and as such you are more at risk for damage to the eye to accur.
if you insist on useing shooting/saftey glasses for play then this may be of help:
ANSI Standards for Safety Eyewear
Updated ANSI safety eyewear standards include the following key features:
For the basic impact tests, lenses are tested separately (not mounted in a frame). For the high impact classification, the frame and lenses are tested together as a unit.
Non-prescription lenses used for high impact testing are considered to be structurally weaker than prescription lenses made of the same material; the prescription lenses are generally thicker.
Thinner prescription safety lenses are now allowed, if they meet the high impact testing requirements. (Previously, all prescription safety lenses had to have a minimum thickness of 3 mm, making them significantly thicker and heavier than regular eyeglass lenses.)
Safety lenses now have two classifications of performance: basic impact and high impact.
The "drop ball" test determines the basic impact safety classification for lenses. In this test, a one-inch diameter steel ball is dropped onto the lens from a height of 50 inches. To pass, the lens must not crack, chip or break. All glass safety lenses must undergo this test. For plastic safety lenses, however, only a statistical sample of a large batch of lenses needs to be tested.
In high impact testing, a high velocity test is performed by shooting a quarter-inch diameter steel ball at the lens at a speed of 150 feet per second. To pass, the lens must not crack, chip or break, and it must not become dislodged from the lens holder.
How To Assess Ratings of Safety Eyeglasses and Goggles
This mark may be applied to any prescription lens of the same or greater thickness (at the thinnest point of the lens), made of the same material by the same manufacturer and with the same coating(s) applied.
"V" and "S" marks. Other lens markings that appear on safety lenses are "V" (indicating the lens is photochromic) and "S" (indicating the lens has a special tint). In some cases, a number may also be marked on a shaded safety lens to indicate how much light transmittance is reduced by the tint.
Shaded safety glasses for use when working with molten metal and in soldering, brazing, cutting and welding operations have tint densities that can range from 1.5 to 3.0 (mild to moderate shade for torch soldering) up to 10 to 14 (very dark shades for electric arc welding).
All safety lens markings must be permanent. If lenses do not meet the high impact standard, a warning label that can be removed only by the wearer must be affixed to prescription safety eyewear.
Testing of Frames for Safety Eyeglasses and Goggles
Frames for safety glasses are tested using the same criteria whether they will be used in basic impact or high impact applications. Frame tests include:
High mass impact. In this test, a one-inch diameter steel projectile weighing 17.6 ounces is dropped through a tube from a height of 50 inches onto a safety lens mounted in a frame. The frame is "worn" by an artificial head form. To pass, the frame must fully retain the lens, and no piece can become detached from the inner surface of the frame component that holds the lenses.
Durability. Safety frames must also pass a flammability-resistance test, a corrosion-resistance test and other durability tests.
High velocity impact. This test involves shooting a quarter-inch steel ball at the lens and frame at a velocity of 150 feet per second from a distance of just under 10 inches. The test is repeated multiple times (each time with a new frame and lens) at different angles and positions of impact. The pass criteria are the same as for the high mass impact test.
How To Assess Standards for Frames Used in Protective Eyewear
Non-prescription safety eyewear with non-removable lenses must be permanently marked with the manufacturer's trademark and "Z87" (basic impact) or "Z87+" (high impact) on either the front of the frame or on one temple.
Prescription safety frames must be permanently marked with the manufacturer's trademark and "Z87-2" on the front of the frame and on both temples.
For complete information, you can purchase a copy of the ANSI Z87.1-2003 safety eyewear standard at the American National Standards Institute website.
these same rules also apply to the tactical eyewear that most people use to protect thier eyes.
and to clarify the 1/4 inch steel ball that they use for the high impact testing is approximatly the same size as the bb's that we use but about 5 times the weight (just a guess as i dont have any or a scale to compare).
i hope this helps answer your question.