To further study the application of small target detection in the field of computer vision, this paper first introduces the significance of small target detection research and the development of small target detection. Then, the status of small target detection at home and abroad and the methods used are introduced. In addition, small target detection is based on traditional methods, small target detection d based on deep learning, and the current main methods and research status of small target detection optimization are introduced. Finally, the significance of improving the accuracy and speed of algorithms based on deep learning for small target detection is described.