To improve control during the filling of the channels of a microfluidic device with the fluid under investigation, a new concept is presented: channels with a diamond-shaped cross section. These channels easily allow one to distinguish an unfilled channel from a filled channel by simple optical microscopy. The idea is based on the fact that incident light is totally reflected with unfilled channels, whereas it is mostly transmitted with filled channels. Preparation of such channels in thin SU-8 layers on a glass was performed via a double replication of a Si template with undercut trenches. Functionality tests with filling materials spanning the range of refractive indices of typical organic media provided an excellent contrast between filled and unfilled channels, thus demonstrating the capacity of this concept.