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Could looking through water be the future of better vision? It's no optical illusion, according to researchers at Caltech.

The California Institute of Technology recently received $8 million from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency for a four-year basic research program for

Scientists from Caltech, Harvard and UC San Diego will spearhead the new research.

"We can flow tiny amounts of fluids through channels on a chip to help us in building optical devices that are very adaptive, changeable and potentially at low prices," said Changhuei Yang, an assistant professor of electrical engineering at Caltech and a researcher at the new center.

Eyeglasses that can change optical properties could stem from the research, Yang said. Other possible products include lasers capable of adjusting wavelengths for greater power.