In space radiation environment, optical fiber can experience great attenuation additionally, which can bring many disadvantages for its application in radiation environment. In order to guarantee the performance of optical fiber in radioation environment, much attention should be paid for research on radiation induced attenuation (RIA) for optical fibers. Starting from the interaction mechanism between radiation and optical fiber, we explain the formation process of color centers, which are the primary reason for the RIA of optical fiber. More information about annealing of color centers is also mentioned. Then a detailed analysis of influence of related factors on RIA for optical fibers, such as radiation conditions, parameters of optical fiber and light waves characteristic, is given. A summary of the RIA models for optical fibers and a brief introduction to the application of the radiation-induced attenuation effects are also shown.