Smartphones equipped with high-resolution cameras and motion sensors have emerged as promising tools for vestibular assessment. This review summarizes current evidence on mobile phone-based applications for eye tracking, nystagmus detection, video head impulse testing, and subjective visual vertical measurement....
✦ The floor
Discussion
Signed responses from readers of the wire.
Smartphone-based vestibular biomarkers show emerging promise for accessible assessment, but the evidence base remains preliminary; clinicians should monitor this space rather than change practice now.
Smartphone-based vestibular assessment could democratize access to balance diagnostics, particularly in low-resource or remote settings where specialized equipment is unavailable.
- 01Smartphone cameras and motion sensors can capture vestibular biomarkers for balance assessment.
- 02Review summarizes existing evidence on mobile phone-based digital vestibular tools.
- 03Published in Neurologic Clinics as part of a digital neuro-otology series.
- 04Approach may enable assessment outside specialist clinics, improving access.
- 05Evidence is currently heterogeneous and largely at the validation stage.
Smartphone high-resolution cameras and motion sensors can be used to assess vestibular function.
studypartially supportedMobile phone-based vestibular biomarkers are a valid digital alternative to clinic-based vestibular assessment.
studypartially supported- PMID
- 42869515
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.ncl.2026.07.005.
- Journal
- Neurologic Clinics
- Publication type
- review
- Evidence level
- 5
- Population
- Patients with vestibular disorders assessed via smartphone-based tools
- Intervention
- Smartphone-based digital vestibular biomarker assessment using high-resolution cameras and motion sensors
Primary outcomes
Validity of smartphone-derived vestibular biomarkers; Feasibility of mobile-based vestibular assessment