This work aims to study the influence of gamma irradiation on some borophosphate glasses doped with PbO. Investigation of the structural changes and the optical properties of the studied glass network after successive gamma irradiation with doses of 500 Gy, 1 kGy, 2 kGy, and 5 kGy were done by UV–VIS and ATR-FTIR spectrometers, respectively. FTIR measurements confirmed that BO4 groups decrease and BO3 groups increase with the increase of γ-irradiation. UV–VIS absorption increased slightly with irradiation. The measurements of hardness before and after γ irradiation revealed that the hardness rose with the adding of PbO to glass. This model based on self-repairing for the structure-defects resulted from irradiation which not only creates defects but also induces reversible recovery of the defects. The outcomes reflected that the gamma-ray irradiation has a small influence on the network structure of the prepared glass. Consequently, it can be used in various applications as the nuclear fields.