Abstract: Ion beam induced luminescence （IBIL） is an efficient and practical real-time analysis technology in the radiation effect research of tritium breeding materials. The IBIL research work in the irradiation effect of tritium breeding materials using MeV ion beam was reviewed in this paper. The characteristics and evolutions of irradiation defects under different experimental conditions were reported mainly. Based on the analysis of IBIL, the generation mechanisms of irradiation defects were discussed and the kinetic model in the process of irradiation was also presented. Finally, the IBIL set-up at the tandem accelerator of Beijing Normal University was presented and some prospects in tritium breeding materials research using IBIL were suggested.