Laser induced damage threshold (LIDT) testing is the effective methods to research the lifetime of optical elements. According to ISO 11254 standards, a LIDT testing system of ArF excimer laser is established. The laser beam size on the sample surface can be varied from 0.3 to 0.6 mm in diameter. The maximum laser energy density is larger than 4.5 J/cm2. Besides the Nomarski microscope, He-Ne scattering is used and demonstrated as an effective and reliable method for the on-line monitoring of laser damage. The uncertainty of LIDT results and the main effecting factors are analyzed. The laser induced damage of fused silica substrates with different absorptions and CaF2 substrates with different absorptions are investigated in 1-on-1 mode, respectively. The roles of absorption on the LIDT results of the two kind substrates are discussed.