**Core Concept**
The patient's symptoms of swollen knee joints and foreign body sensation in eyes suggest an immune-mediated reaction, possibly due to a systemic infection or an autoimmune process. This scenario is a classic presentation of a condition where the body's immune system mistakenly attacks its own tissues.

**Why the Correct Answer is Right**
The likely cause of the patient's symptoms is **Lyme disease**, caused by the bacterium *Borrelia burgdorferi*. Lyme disease is transmitted through the bite of an infected black-legged tick (*Ixodes scapularis*). The infection can cause a characteristic skin rash, joint pain and swelling (arthritis), and neurological symptoms, including vision problems such as foreign body sensation in the eyes. The immune system's response to the infection leads to inflammation and damage to the tissues, resulting in the patient's symptoms.

**Why Each Wrong Option is Incorrect**
* **Option A:** This option is incorrect because it does not match the patient's symptoms. **Rheumatoid arthritis** is an autoimmune disease that primarily affects the joints, but it does not typically cause foreign body sensation in the eyes.
* **Option B:** This option is incorrect because it is not a systemic infection that matches the patient's symptoms. **Meningitis** is an infection of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord, but it does not typically cause joint pain and swelling.
* **Option C:** This option is incorrect because it is not a condition that matches the patient's symptoms. **Sjögren's syndrome** is an autoimmune disease that primarily affects the glands that produce tears and saliva, but it does not typically cause joint pain and swelling.

**Clinical Pearl / High-Yield Fact**
Lyme disease can be diagnosed using a blood test that detects antibodies against *Borrelia burgdorferi*, but a definitive diagnosis can only be made by identifying the bacteria in a sample of tissue or fluid from the affected area.

**Correct Answer:** D.