Abstract: Continual exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR), the human eye will produce a large number of reactive oxygen species (ROS),  which can induce oxidative stress reaction, produce large amounts of toxic aldehydes, cause serious damage to the eye tissues. The aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) superfamily is a kind of multifunctional proteins, which plays an important role in the metabolism of endogenous and exogenous aldehydes. The mechanism of ALDH in the defense against UVR damage is unclear. ALDH in eye mainly distributed in the cornea and lens, among which ALDH1A1 and ALDH3A1 present abundantly, maybe have unique roles in the defense against UVR. Recent studies indicated that drugs targeted ALDH may be beneficial to some eye diseases.