[u]Purpose[/u]: Trefoil Factors (TFF) are the secretory products of mucous epithelia. They are co-expressed with and act in concert with mucins. Our aim was to compare TFF1 (pS2) expression in normal human conjunctiva and in dry eye (DE). [u]Methods[/u]: Nine impression cytology specimens were collected in patients with severe dry eye with Sjögren's syndrome(SS). Ten normal subjects were enrolled to provide normal control values. We assessed the expression of TFF1 (pS2) mRNA by semi-quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). [u]Results[/u]: We found a statistically significantly lower expression of TFF1 in patient with DE than in normal conjunctiva (p<0,0001 ; Mann and Whitney U=30). TFF1 mRNA expression was close to zero in patient with DE, except for two specimens. [u]Conclusion[/u]: A significant decrease of TFF1 mRNA expressions by epithelial cells was consistently found in the DE groups compared with in normal eyes. This result should be related to the decreased number of goblet cells.