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Exposure of optical materials to transient-ionizing-radiation fields can give rise to transient and/or permanent photodarkening effects. In laser materials, such as YAG, such induced optical loss can result in significant degradation of the lasing characteristic of the material, making its selection for optical device applications in radiation environments unfeasible. In the present work, the ionizing-radiation response of Nd:YAG laser rods of varying composition and microstructure are examined. The optical properties of the materials are examined using a variety of optical spectroscopies and observations are correlated with the results of the ionizing-radiation studies. It is found that radiation damage in these materials is strongly influenced by the material microstructure.