The problems of radiation damage suffered by the CMOS image sensors (CISs) in space radiation or nuclear radiation environments have been paid much attention. The simulation researches of the CIS will be helpful to reveal the mechanism of radiation damage in the CISs, and then develop the radiation-resistant reinforced design, so as to improve the ability of the radiation resistance of the CISs. The simulation research progress of radiation damage effects in the CISs at home and abroad was briefly introduced. Combining the radiation effect simulation of the electronic components with a lot of practical experience in radiation experiments developed by the project team, the simulation methods of radiation damage effect in the CISs were discussed in the aspects of device physical modeling, clock driving circuit modeling, radiation damage effect modeling and simulation results verification. The key problems that need to be solved in the simulation researches of radiation damage effects in the CISs were analyzed and summarized.