Defects and impurities in optical components can lead to significant reduction in the laser damage threshold, which has become a “bottleneck” in the development of high-power and high-energy laser devices and needs to be solved urgently. In the study of laser damage of optical components, it is found that the laser damage resistance of optical components can be effectively improved by pretreating the surface of the components with a laser below the damage threshold. In this paper, the background, qualitative mechanism, quantitative theoretical model and application status of laser conditioning technology are summarized, and a new film conditioning technology for in-situ real-time laser conditioning of thin films is introduced. Finally, it is pointed out that laser conditioning is one of the most effective methods that can effectively improve the laser induced damage threshold of optical films, optical glasses, and optical crystal components. However, its mechanism, practicality, and instrumentation still need further development.