Abstract: Plastic optical fiber（POF）has obvious advantages in the short distances（1~2 km） of transmission，such as high bandwidth，good toughness，strong antiinterference ability and easily connecting. Firstly，the background and the basic characteristics of POF were introduced. Secondly，the research progress of development and production was analyzed，and the applications in many fields were reviewed，such as the optical fiber to the home（FTTH），car industry，lighting，industrial control，et al.Finally，the prospect was looked forward.

Key words: plastic optical fiber（POF）, POF optical device, optical fiber communication