The optical properties and microstructural degradation of a multicomponent glass after exposure to 1MeV electrons for fluences of 10 13 to 10 16 e − /cm 2 , as well as the recovery during annealing at room temperature (RT) for the fluence of 10 16 e − /cm 2 , are investigated. The non-bridging oxygen hole centers (NBOHCs), as well as trapped electrons (TEs), are mainly attributed to optical absorption bands and paramagnetic spectra. In comparison of the exponential curves, the in-growth kinetics for each type of defect with increasing fluence are separable, and a new linearly-combined exponential model is used to describe the structural responses during irradiation. Accordingly, RT bleaching curves of defects follow a linearly-combined exponential decay function. Consistent results from optical and paramagnetic signals suggest that this linearly-combined model provides a reasonable kinetic description of the growth and bleaching process of defects.