Abstract: The preparation methods of spinel glass ceramics doped with transition metal ions are introduced, and the optical properties of different kinds of transition metal ions doping spinel glass ceramics and their research development are summarized. The saturable absorption, the visible and near-infrared photoluminescence properties are analyzed in detailed. It is predicted that the future research of the spinel glass ceramics will be focused on the improvement of the preparation process, the increase of the proportion of the transition metal ions in the crystalline phase, the reduce of the scattering by adjusting the refracting index match of the crystalline and the glass phase, and so on.