A drop-weight impact test and delamination buckling test were performed to investigate the development of impact damage and post-impact compression behavior of cross-ply composite laminates with optical fibers embedded in the interface of two different angle plies. It was found that the presence of optical fibers had little or marginal effect on the shape and size of damage area of the laminate when the optical fibers were embedded parallel to the host reinforcing fibers. Non-parallel optical fibers promoted unstable crack growth through the formation of resin rich regions, which in turn increased slightly the impact damage area. It was also shown that a large number of parallel optical fibers may have an ameliorating effect on delamination buckling strength as they promote the waviness of the delamination fracture surface. © 1999 IOP Publishing Ltd.