Early screening for mild cognitive impairment（ MCI） is important in preventing the onset of dementia or slowing its progression. Numerous studies have shown that balance function evaluation has an important role in the identification and early warning of patients with MCI. Currently， MCI screening in China is still dominated by neuropsychological scales， which fails to reflect the research and application value of balance function-related indicators in MCI screening. By reviewing and analyzing the previous literature， this paper starts from the dimensions of balance function in MCI patients to clarify the concept of balance function， the neurological basis of balance abnormalities in MCI patients， the commonly used balance assessment methods， and the correlation between balance function and cognitive function， with the aim of providing a theoretical basis for the future development of a balance function-based early screening tool for MCI.