Tantalum pentoxide (Ta_{2O5) and ultraviolet reflective (UVR) multilayer films were deposited on quartz glass substrates by an electron beam evaporation system equipped with a hall ion source, respectively. The optical properties of Ta2O5 film and the UVR film under the vacuum ultraviolet irradiation were investigated. It is found that the mean transmittance of the Ta2O5 thin film decreased in the 300—500 nm region. The refractive index and extinction coefficient of the single layer increased during the range of 300—1 000 nm, with the variation rate of refractive index less than 1%, which is mainly due to the larger surface roughness and variation of the chemical state of Ta atoms on the surface caused by the irradiation. The mean reflectance of UVR film decreased from 96.5% to 95.4% during the range of 290—450 nm, indicating that the Ta2O5 and UVR films have excellent vacuum ultraviolet irradiation resistant properties.}