How difficult is it to hover and then go straight up .... blind?
Depending on distance from the source and the strength, you are talking about at best being dazzled and distracted to being permanently blinded.
The cockpit of an AH-64 is designed to give the crew excellent views outside, which by extension means excellent vision in.
For a helicopter to fly forward it must lower its nose at least slightly, thus increasing exposure in the forward sector.
So no, you don't have the right of it. There was a very real risk to that helicopter.